Metamorphosis
by afickleflakes
Summary: A typical makeover fic. Lavi's picked on, teased and discriminated. Lenalee's his best friend, and has been for ten years. Now seventeen, she decides it's high time he had a make-over. How are they going to deal with it when they end up falling in love?
1. Prologue

Metamorphosis

Prologue: Never Again

Disclaimer: I don't own D. Gray- Man. Hoshino Katsura does.

* * *

"Hey _Cyclops_!"

Her small, helpless hands ball into fists.

"How are you, huh? As _blind_ as usual?"

There are laughs.

She doesn't want to turn around.

She knows the horrifying sight she will face if she does.

Silence replies the older boys' insults.

This agitates the leader.

"Oh, so you're deaf now, huh? Or are you mute, _Cyclops_?"

Silence again.

She hates this part of the day.

"No wonder your parents abandoned you."

"He's such a wimp."

"So dumb, wearing earrings like a _girl_."

"He _is_ a girl, you idiot."

They laugh.

The leader silences their snickering.

He grins evilly.

When did little boys get so malicious?

"You're just a pathetic fool aren't you? You are!"

When the redheaded little boy doesn't answer, the leader's eyes narrow, and he frowns.

"Answer me, you dumbass!"

The redhead doesn't budge and continues to stare at the words in the thick book in his hands.

He turns a page.

"Why, you!"

A fist lands against the redhead's cheek.

Still, he does not move.

He lies there on the ground, left cheek reddening, swelling.

The leader grabs him by the shirt.

"Hey _Cyclops_! I wanna see your right eye!"

He begins to tug at the white bandages around the redhead's right eye.

She knows what's behind the bandages.

She can't take it anymore.

She spins around, eyes watering.

"Stop it!" she shrieks.

The bullies face her.

"What was that, you _bitch_?"

"_Oi, oi, oi._"

Everyone turns, facing the newcomer.

The leader's eyes goggle.

"R-Run! It's-it's-!"

His voice trembles.

She doesn't get to hear his name. But she already knows who it is.

It's always him.

"Tyki-nii."

"What's happened this time?"

The sixteen year-old kneels down in front of the redhead, who has a hand to his swollen cheek.

She is quick to explain.

Tyki will go and teach those assholes a lesson!

"They called him _Cyclops_! And they said bad things to him! Punish them, Tyki-nii!"

"Mmn."

He continues to inspect the redhead's swollen cheek.

"Does it hurt?"

The redhead shakes his head.

"Okay. You're brave-"

"_Stop talking to me like I'm a little kid._"

The hiss is furious, agitated.

The little boy rises, stalking off irritably, his book in hand.

She gapes at him.

Tyki smiles sadly.

"He's anti-social isn't he?"

"He's so _rude_!"

Tyki looks at her.

"The bullies made him that way, Lenalee."

Her mouth curves downwards into a frown.

"I hate them."

Tyki stands up.

Patting her on the head, he says, "Don't worry. One day, Lavi will understand that he needs to stand up for himself. He'll have friends to help him along the way."

She looks up at the older boy sadly.

"But he has no friends."

Tyki smiles.

"Then, I'm counting on you to be."

Her violet eyes widen.

"When the time comes and he needs a friend, I'm counting on you to protect him, okay?"

Her mouth is still wide open in awe.

Hearing this, it snaps shut, a determined look crossing her features.

She nods.

"Just don't do anything rash, alright?"

"Okay!"

-

"I'd like to be your friend."

"What..?"

"I'm serious."

"Wha- Why…?"

He flinches as she presses the wet gauze to the bruise on his stomach.

The skin has broken.

"Sorry…"

She places the soiled gauze on the table, picks up a clean piece and soaks it in antiseptic.

She touches it to his cheek softly.

"Because I've been watching you for a long time."

"…"

She looks up, staring him straight in the eye.

"I think you need a friend."

-

"Ow."

"Why didn't you just walk away?"

"…I don't like to run away."

"Then stand up for yourself. Fight back! Be a man!"

"I don't like fighting either…"

"If you can't fight, at most walk away! It's one or the other!"

The redheaded boy shrugged.

Her expression softened.

"When I say stand up for yourself, I meant make a statement so smartass that their brains can't process the information. You're way smarter than they are!"

"… Do you really think I'm that smart?"

"Yeah. I do."

She flicks his forehead.

"Ow!"

He flinches.

"You are, you know."

And she plasters his cheek.

And plasters his heart at the same time.

-

"…Lavi…"

"Shut up."

"Please don't get into any more fights."

He's had enough.

He lashes out at her.

This submissive boy can't take it anymore.

"I-If you're only going to snap at me, why don't you just shut up?! I mean, it never even is my fault, and you always nag at me! Who are you, my _mom?! _Whose side are you on?!"

"Okay… I'm sorry…"

She continues to dab at a deep gash near his collarbone.

The touch is soft, light as a feather.

"Look, Lenalee. I'm sorry. I didn't mean it."

She doesn't look up.

"It's fine."

She soaks a piece of gauze in antiseptic before pressing it to his shoulder for the thousandth time before securing it down with medicinal tape.

"I have an idea."

He looks up, confused by her sudden determined tone.

"Do you want the teasing to stop?"

He's astonished.

"'Course' I do."

"Do you wanna fit in?"

"You know I do."

She looks up, resolve burning in the depths of her amethyst orbs.

"Then, Lavi, be prepared. I'm going to change you. Never again will you be teased."

He has yet to recover from the shock of that day.

* * *

A/N: Hello. I chose to rewrite this. it was messing up my storyline, so I had to re-do this. gave me one helluva headache.

I hope you liked it.

by the way,

they are sixteen at the end of this chapter, and note, they are both the same age in this story.

review, if you will. thanks. :)


	2. The Summer Plan

Metamorphosis

Chapter 1: The Summer Plan

Disclaimer: Don't own the anime/manga. It respectively belongs to Hoshino Katsura.

* * *

"Come on. You need to eat something."

"No, thanks."

"Seriously… You need to eat right, or you might collapse and-"

"Hey, _Paedophile!_"

Lenalee spun around, her one ponytail snapping in the other direction.

It was Dick Ashworth and his bunch again.

That guy really was a dick. Just like his name.

Hmph.

"You're still clinging onto that chick huh? You guys getting busy every night?"

As usual, Lavi kept quiet.

"Hey, Lee. You're hot ya know? You could hang with us-"

"Shut up, Dick."

Lenalee interrupted him easily.

"Seriously. Dick? What kind of person has that name? It's obviously some kind of notion for those of us who have relatively _normal_ names to worship you as 'Dick the Dick'. Oh, wait. Aren't you bored of just 'Dick'? It's really a boring name. Maybe I should call you 'Penis'? It's a synonym. In case you didn't know, that means it still has the same meaning as the original name,_ Penis_."

The blonde boy gritted his teeth.

"So your little bitch speaks for you too, huh? What a waste. That rockin' body wasted on a smartass, vulgar, blabber mouth like that."

He sniggered.

"Defended by a bitch. You really are pathetic. Or are you mute, huh, Cyclops?"

Lavi's jaw tightened for a fleeting moment.

Then it relaxed.

His eyes glazed over, dark, empty.

Lenalee knew that look.

He'd switched off, retreated into his subconscious mind.

It meant he didn't want to listen anymore.

It meant he was in _pain_.

Lenalee gritted her teeth and stood up, her hands balling into fists as she faced the untimely jock.

"What was that, you bastard? I'm his friend, of course I'm standing up for him! Unlike _you_, I'm a good friend-"

"Lenalee, _don't_."

She looked at Lavi desperately.

"But-"

"Hey, master's telling you to stop barking, bitch."

"Shut up you bas-"

Dick laughed, cutting her off again.

He turned to Lavi.

"Seriously, Cyclops. Tighten the leash on your bitch. Saying such un-womanly things! A serious waste of those curves."

The bunch of jocks behind him laughed mockingly in agreement.

Lenalee's brow furrowed in exasperation.

"Why don't you say that to my face, you-"

"Lenalee."

She turned to look at him, irritation clouding her eyes, desperate to retaliate.

Lavi shook his head.

"_Enough_."

His voice was cold.

Lavi stood.

"We're leaving. Come on. Let's go."

"But Lavi, wait-"

Dick snorted, and his bunch erupted in cruel sniggers.

"That's right! Run, Paedophile! You're just another criminal that picks on innocent children and unsuspecting, foolish hot girls!"

The entire cafeteria had witnessed this incident.

From the corner, silver eyes gazed at the Juniors, wondering just how much more they could take.

-

"Lavi-"

"It's fine Lenalee."

"Seriously! You're just gonna sit down and let this cynic of a Dick, Penis or whatever go on bullying you?!"

Lavi winced.

"Yes. And don't speak of other people like that."

"They do about you! Don't you care about that?!"

"I do, but that isn't the point. If you badmouth them in the same way," he paused, looking into her amethyst irises, "you're the same, right?"

He probably looked weak even to Lenalee, his best friend, now.

She sighed, plopping down next to him.

"Why don't you ever stand up for yourself?"

"I don't like fighting."

"But you _kick-box_, for _god's sake_. How can you say you don't like fighting?"

"It's just self-defence."

"Exactly! So defend yourself!"

"I'd rather not physically. It'd be troublesome for Gramps if I ended up breaking Dick's nose."

"But you're smart! Fight back with words then?"

"…No."

"You're such a martyr."

"Am not."

"Right…"

"Your sarcasm is too obvious. Be more discreet about it."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever."

The two friends were silent.

"I'm grateful you at least know not to insult his folks."

"Yup."

"Definitely, considering the Ashworth could become 'Assworth'."

Lenalee laughed.

Lavi smiling lightly, lay down on his back, the hood of his baggy grey pullover fell away, revealing remarkable red hair.

He folded his arms behind his head.

His smile drooped sadly and he sighed.

"What is it that makes everyone _bloody_ _hate_ me so much?"

"It isn't your fault. And they don't_ hate _you."

"Yeah? Then why all the teasing."

"You're just… Different."

"Right. And how am I different? I'm the same _bloody_ age, live in the same _bloody_ country, go to the same _bloody_ school, _and_ breathe the same _bloody_ air. I'm a _bloody_ human, I take the same _bloody_ classes, do the same bloody examinations. What makes me so bloody 'different'?"

Lenalee turned to face him, looking down at him.

He did not see her. His visible eye was closed.

"You have the word 'bloody' in everything. I mean, you've had it for forever, but you didn't have to say that all over the place."

A soft, sad smile graced her lips, and her expression softened.

"But, I don't know."

He sighed, still not opening his eyes.

"Though, I do know you're just like everyone else. And you've always been the same to me."

The redhead smiled slightly.

He picked his glasses off his face, folded them neatly, and placed them in his pocket.

"I'm gonna nap. G'night."

"Mmn. Do you want me to hold onto those for you? If you roll over, they might break."

"Oh. Sure. Thanks."

Lavi still did not open his eyes as he handed her the round-lens glasses.

Lenalee held them between her two hands. She looked back at Lavi's form.

Feeling her gaze on him, the redhead's emerald green eyes fluttered open.

"…What?"

She studied him a moment.

His green irises glittered livelily.

Sharp features, relatively high cheekbones.

Distinctly flawless proportion.

A picture of perfection, if only he knew how to dress better.

"What?" he reiterated.

Lenalee snapped out of her trance.

"…You look better without glasses."

Lavi raised an eyebrow at her.

"You do!"

"Right… That's nice."

He closed his eyes again.

"_Why_ do you even wear these again?"

"I need them."

Lenalee made a face, even if his eyes were closed and he couldn't see it.

"Like _hell_ you do. I should know."

Lavi sat up, sighing.

He ran a hand through his marvellous red hair.

"At the recent eye check, they said you have twenty-twenty vision."

"Yeah, so?"

"So why do you wear these? It makes that bandage thing over your eye look even weirder. These are so old fashioned!"

But she already knew why.

And Lavi was fighting to keep his cool.

"Whatever, Lenalee. I don't care if they're old fashioned. Those glasses are the last thing I have from my dad. I don't know why he gave them to me. So I wear them everywhere I go."

She was quiet for a moment. Thinking.

'_How do I get this guy to stop wearing these things?_'

She had to be cruel. Even though she didn't want to.

Lenalee lost all tact.

"You know, I bet your father would be disappointed. He'd say that you're wasting your perfect eyesight just to wear a piece of _junk_ he gave you. _And_ risk your perfect eyesight."

Then she realised she'd hit a nerve.

Not what she had intended.

'_Uh-oh_.'

"It's _not_ a bloody piece of junk."

Silence.

"…I know. I'm sorry."

"Mm."

Silence again.

"Summer break starts tomorrow, huh?"

"Yeah… You wanna come over? Or do I go over?"

"Hm."

Something clicked in Lenalee's memory.

"I think…"

Lavi looked up at her mischievous tone.

"Hm…?"

"Do you remember about a year ago, when I asked you if you wanted the teasing to stop?"

"Yeah. In autumn last year, right?"

"Uh-huh. And then I asked you if you wanted to fit in, do you remember that?"

"Mmhmn. Though I don't see where you're going with this."

"I never changed you immediately after that, did I?"

"Nope."

It took a moment for it to sink in.

"…O-Oi… You aren't meaning to say that-"

"You are definitely coming over! Makeover, COMMENCE!"

Lavi groaned.

"How the bloody hell of it did I get myself into this situation?"

* * *

A/N: Don't ya just love how OOC they are? XD  
I love that Lavi says "bloody" all over the place. It's so adorable.

To all who reviewed; you have my thanks! (and huge cookie for each of you!)


	3. Metamorphosis, START!

Metamorphosis

Chapter 2: STAGE ONE; Appearance, Part A

Disclaimer: As previously mentioned, I don't own all the stuff recognizable as brands.

* * *

_Bzzt._

"W-Wha?" a sleepy voice drawled.

_Bzztbzzt_.

The vibrating noise continued to buzz urgently.

The redhead looked up lazily, his vision adjusting to the light filtering in through the window blurrily.

_Bzzt_.

_Bzztbzzt_.

The phone continued to vibrate against the table.

Lifting his head, the redhead brought his hand over his face, making a round before settling over the right side of his face.

He looked down.

Agh. He had fallen asleep doing the old Panda's assignments again.

'_Da Vinci's Inventions and Theories of Physics, page 178._'

He closed the book.

He'd continue after he'd had a shower, before going to Lenalee's house.

_Bzzt._

_Bzztbzzt_.

Lavi sighed.

He might as well pick it up.

It was giving him one hell of a headache.

He glanced at the table clock.

Five A.M. …

_Bzzt._

_Bzztbzzt._

Lavi sat up.

The vibrating was getting annoying. Might as well answer the call.

"Bloody hell… Who the heck is calling me this early in the morning?"

_Bzzt._

_Bzztb-_

"LAVI, WHY THE HELL DID YOU TAKE SO LONG TO PICK UP THE BLOODY PHONE! I'VE BEEN CALLING FOR AGES!"

By then the redhead was holding the cell phone away from his ear.

He paused, waited in case the crazy woman on the other end of the line was going to shout in his ear and attempt to overkill his eardrums again.

Confident that she wouldn't be screaming her lungs out at him again, he pressed the cell phone back to his right ear.

"Lenalee, you idiot. It's _five in the morning_. What were you expecting?"

He sighed, ran a hand through his hair.

"And bloody hell, the phone only rang five times."

"THAT'S FREAKING LONG ALREADY!"

Lavi winced as his best friend shrieked into the phone again.

Again he paused, waiting for more shrieks before speaking again.

"No, it isn't, considering you only called once."

He rubbed his eye.

"And for crying out loud, _stop yelling in my ear_."

There was silence on the other end of the line.

"Hello? Lenalee…?"

"Nnn…"

Lavi's eyebrows shot up.

"Bloody hell. The girl fell asleep," he mumbled.

The redhead hung up, his phone shutting with a click.

Leaving it on the table, he grabbed a towel, intent on a hot shower.

-

"What the bloody hell did you call me so early for-"

"I'm so sorry, Lavi!"

"Yeah, yeah. Now, don't disrergard my ques-"

"Seriously, I'm so sorry. Waking you up, then falling asleep on you over the phone, and even after all that, you had to make me tea because I dropped the kettle and scalded my hand, even when you aren't even drinking the tea and are instead just having a can of soda… I'm a terrible person!"

Lavi, who hated being interrupted, by then was fuming, fighting to control his temper.

"Will you just _keep quiet_, _stop_ bloody interrupting me and _drink the tea already_? I already said it's _fine_. Now, if you _really_ appreciate my coming here and making you tea, you'd just bloody _drink it._"

"Ah, okay. Sorry."

"_Please _stop apologizing."

Lavi raised the can of soda to his lips.

"Okay."

Lenalee lifted the blue mug to her lips.

"And anyway, at least I got to finish reading the books Gramps'd asked me to read before you came. I've got less to think about and more free time, now."

He sighed.

"So what _did_ you need to call me so early for?"

She didn't answer.

Lavi turned to face her, his gaze floating to her half-hidden behind the mug.

She had been watching him intently as he spoke, eyes focused on him.

He raised an eyebrow.

"…What…?"

"You're better like this. Wearing a T-shirt, long pants, Converse."

The redhead's shoulders slumped, his mouth slightly agape and his eye widened in disbelief.

He looked down at his clothes, then back up to the girl's heart-shaped face.

"Lenalee…"

He leaned across the coffee table to touch her forehead.

"Are you sick?"

Lenalee's mouth fell open instead.

"You're so mean."

She frowned, swatting away his hand.

"Seriously."

The redhead slumped back into the armchair.

"Are you sure you're not sick? _Where_ is this coming from?"

"Well, I was thinking we'd start the make-over today."

"_What?_ You were still planning on carrying out that bloody insane plan of yours?!"

Lenalee huffed.

"It's not insane!"

"Right…"

"I'm serious! Your fashion sense is horrible!"

The girl slumped back into the couch she was seated on, arms folded across her chest.

Lavi eyed her exasperatedly.

"But I _like_ my clothes!"

Again, his best friend sighed.

"Exactly why I say you have bad fashion sense."

Both friends sighed simultaneously.

"Alright," Lenalee began, her hands slapping her thighs lightly, "let's check out your closet. Then after we see what we need to get rid of and what you can keep. And _then_ we see what you need to get."

She looked up from her concentrated gaze, only to find Lavi staring at her incredulously.

Her eye twitched.

"What? Stop looking at me as though I'm crazy."

"Lenalee. We're at _your_ house. Which is bloody far away from my house."

Lenalee blinked.

"Oh."

Lavi facepalmed.

"And you _still_ haven't answered my question."

The ebony-haired girl tilted her head to the side.

"I just wanted to tell you that we would be going shopping later, so, 'bring money'."

The redhead gawked at Lenalee disbelievingly.

"Thank your lucky stars we need to go check out the clothes at my house first. Otherwise, I'd have worked your wallet to the max."

Lenalee frowned.

"You're so mean, Lavi."

Said seventeen-year-old folded his arms behind his head lazily.

"Well, it wouldn't be _my_ fault! You'd be the one wanting to spend your money on me when the time actually came!"

"Shut up!"

-

Lavi had on a bandana that kept his flaming red hair out of his eye, having been too lazy to comb it.

A loose T-shirt had been tugged on hastily before they left, too hot today for his tastes; the obscenely loose hoodie he usually wore to school a tad bit too bulky for the heat in this part of their immense town.

And his pants were in their usual baggy honour.

They, however, apparently did not affect the amount of attention he was receiving from the strangers around them.

But Lenalee noticed the other girls in the train watching him and whispering amongst themselves, some of them shooting her glares as he, the main subject and cause of the hustle and bustle amongst the females, remained oblivious to his obvious attractiveness.

That boy was too ignorant of these things, genius as he was in the academic context.

'_But I'm going to change that._'

She continued to observe him, his conversational habits as he spoke to her, his gestures, his insecure areas regarding the social skills.

"Hey, Lavi," she began, "why is it that you're an entirely different person at school? The emo-ness, the always-standing-down? You're so different outside."

The redhead didn't look at her.

Lenalee couldn't read his eye; he was on her left, so all she got to see was the side of his eye patch.

"I don't know. I've no confidence in school."

"Why not…?"

"I don't… know. The bullies, I guess. Either that, or…"

This time, he turned to look at her, honesty shining in his eye.

"I'm just better around you."

Lenalee beamed.

"Well, we are best friends, so it's normal that effect occurs when we're around each other."

She continued beaming the whole way, as the surrounding girls glared at her, whispering their evil gossips to each other.

And, using the newly gathered information, and her knowledge of him gained over the years, she formulated a plan in her mind.

-

"Whew. We're finally here."

They now stood in front of Lavi's apartment door, Lenalee's arms akimbo, Lavi with his hands folded behind his head.

"Yeah, thanks to your stupidity," the redhead drawled.

A vein threatened to pop on Lenalee's forehead.

"How come I never see any of your oh-so-awesome sarcasm when we're at school?"

"That's because I'm too busy minding the jerks who throw their bloody shit in my face."

"Ah, yes, I remember."

"And because you're too busy defending me to be an ass," Lavi added monotonously.

Again, Lenalee's vein threatened to burst on her forehead.

"Yeah, because you're the Emo at school."

Lavi nodded thoughtfully.

"Uh-huh."

…

Lenalee's head snapped around to look at him disbelievingly.

"WHAT?! YOU ACTUALLY ADMIT IT?!"

Lavi's eyes closed then fluttered open.

He tilted his head to the side momentarily, gaze never straying from the sight of his grey-painted door.

"Yep. Unlike _some people_, I acknowledge such things."

"Shuddap."

…

"Well? Are you going to open the door or not?"

"Yeah. I'm just scared for my clothes."

The redhead sighed.

He fished his keys from his pocket.

He unlocked the door, letting himself in.

The Panda was away, thankfully, and he had the place to himself.

The redhead switched on the light, revealing the messy interior of the apartment.

"Wow. The last time I saw this place, it was spotless. What the hell happened?"

He spun the keys around his finger by the key ring.

"Dunno. Gramps left for New York on a business trip."

"Wow. He sounds like a maid."

Lavi gawked at her.

"You're mad. He was just good at making me bloody slug around and do the bloody cleaning!"

"Still, though."

They made their way to Lavi's room in silence.

"Well, I'm going to get us something to eat and drink, so sit down, and make yourself at home," the redhead instructed.

"Okay."

"Good girl. Now, what would you like to eat? And would you like a hot or cold beverage?"

'_Good girl…? Did he just-_'

Lenalee felt mildly insulted.

It seemed as though the taller teenager were treating her like a dog.

A vein threatened to pop on Lenalee's forehead.

Third or fourth time today.

Goddammit.

"Lenalee? Hello?"

The vein continued to throb, aggravated, on her forehead.

"Sorry, what?" she asked, her voice slightly strained.

"What do you want to eat and or drink?"

"Oh. Anything hot is fine."

"You're strange, you know? It's freaking summer and you're taking hot drinks? Strange."

"Right."

"Uh-huh. So like I said, while I go get the drinks and stuff, make yourself at home."

And he left Lenalee sitting on his bed, staring around in wonder.

"How the hell is this place so neat when outside, it looks like a pig sty?" she wondered aloud.

Standing up, she wandered – her hand lightly brushing the surface of each of the pieces of furniture - past a bookshelf of novels, a bookshelf of scientific and mathematical encyclopaedias, a bookshelf of history books, his wardrobe-

His wardrobe?

Ohohoho…

So caught up was little Lenalee that she failed to notice Lavi's approaching footsteps as he ascended the stairs.

And just as he opened the door, she opened the wardrobe doors, to find the worst nightmare imaginable.

"Hey, Lenalee, I just realised that you haven't returned me my father's glasses-"

"What the _bloody_ _hell_?!"

* * *

A/N: Heehee. I update again! Thanks again to all who reviewed.  
Sorry if it's too OOC for you, and too typical cliche manga.

Please review, if you will? Please? (hinthint nudgenudge)  
They keep me going, so, please?


	4. NEW WARDROBE NEEDED!

Metamorphosis

Chapter 3: STAGE ONE; Appearance, Part A

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

* * *

"Why the hell is every nook and cranny of this godforsaken place packed with _books_?! Even your _wardrobe_ is packed with these things! No wonder you have such an indecent fashion sense!"

Lavi sighed as the ebony-haired girl lectured him endlessly of his book-crammed cupboard.

"I just didn't want Gramps to have to buy me another bookshelf. Besides, a person doesn't need that many clothes. That space is better off used for books."

Lenalee just stared at him.

"What?"

"Are you _married_ to your books?"

The redhead shot her a contemptuous look.

"_No_, I am _not_ married to my books, thank you. Are you trying to suggest that I have no balls to have so–called _married_ my books?"

The ebony-haired girl was astonished.

"_What_…?"

Lavi sighed.

"I'm sighing a lot today. Jeez."

He rubbed the back of his neck.

"If you don't understand, then there's no need to explain. The _point_ is that I'm _not _bloody married to my books."

"Hey! Don't abandon the topic! Your interpretation was so weird! Explain!!!"

Lenalee was being annoyingly persistent today.

"_Why_? It's irrelevant! Can we just get a move on?!"

…

"Fine! I just thought you were implying that I didn't have balls because I picked such bloody unattractive objects as my '_wives'_, which I _didn't_, so in other words, I'm saying I like attractive women."

The girl stared at him with a bored expression.

"I don't see what your balls have to do with anything, but I don't understand how you like attractive women, yet make no attempt to improve your appearance to get them."

"_Shut up._ Now, let's get this over with."

Lenalee sighed, giving up. This foolish boy knew not of the ogling girls on their way there.

And it was sad that in real life, Lavi was just another vulgar seventeen year-old.

"Well, let's see."

She tugged on the first article of clothing that was within reach.

It was a simple shirt with three-quarter length sleeves, and was a dark forest green. It had a boat neck, which parted in a two-inch slit in the middle.  
It was a favourably decent shirt.

"Lavi, this is a nice shirt."

Said person had lain down on his bed, arms folded behind his head, his eyes closed.

"Yeah?"

"Yup. Where do you usually wear this? I've never seen this on you when we go to school or movies during the holidays."

"I wear it at home."

Lenalee looked at him incredulously.

"That's a waste of a good shirt!"

She marched over the bed and dragged him up by the ear.

"Ow, ow, _OW!_ What the bloody hell Lenalee?!"

She held out the hanger with the forest green shirt on it.

"Change into this. Now."

Lavi rubbed his right ear exasperatedly.

"Why in the bloody hell should I?"

He got his hanger and shirt flung in his face.

"Violent girl."

This time a book came flying his way.

-

"See, it' not that bad. You could wear this to school."

Lavi stood in front of a full length mirror he barely used.  
Scratch that. He didn't use it _at all_.

"Why would I wear something I wear at _home_ to _school_?"

Lenalee tapped her chin with a pale finger.

"Well, it isn't in bad condition. I daresay it's in better condition that your ridiculous hoodie. And it's fashionable. It shows off your body."

The redhead sighed at his friend's bluntness.

"You're such a tomboy. No bloody shame in saying something about a guy's body."

The ebony-haired girl shot him a glare he ignored.

She wrinkled her nose.

"I'm _not_ a tomboy. You've been my best friend for _ages_. How could I possibly be embarrassed about saying something about your body?"

Lavi didn't look convinced, in spite of her matter-of-fact tone.

"Either way, I don't care. It's just clothes. People are just too bloody paranoid about appearances."

"Right…"

They continued sorting through the redhead's wardrobe, fishing out what looked good and what was downright _out_.

'_This might actually take a while_.'

And with a huff, they set to work.

-

By the end of the entire 'inspection', there was a small pile of seven shirts and two pairs of pants on the floor by the bed.

Lenalee wiped the perspiration from her brow and huffed.

"Whew. Done."

Lavi rolled his eyes.

"Don't be so dramatic. It's only been an hour and a half. And besides, we only went through fifteen pieces of clothing."

The ebony-haired girl shot him a glare.

"Yeah well, it was dumb either way. I can't believe your fashion sense. We've only _six_ pieces of your clothing left."

She sighed, placing her hands on her hips as she looked at the remaining pieces of clothing.

"Now, we call the fashion consultant."

"F-Fashion consultant?"

"Yes, _fashion consultant_."

"You can't be serious."

"Well brace yourself, 'cause I'm _serious_."

Lavi smacked his forehead with his palm.

"Bloody hell."

-

Lavi tucked his hands in his pockets, leaning against the protective rails.

He really, _really_ did not like places like this.

People hustled past him, some brushing him lightly, others bumping into him.

It was annoying.  
Too many bloody people. Too bloody noisy.

Lenalee, however, thought differently.  
Even though he didn't have friends to go shopping there, she _loved_ the mall.

The atmosphere was refreshing.

Looking around, she spotted more females gawking at Lavi.

Said person was staring at the brilliantly constructed architecture on the highest ceiling of the shopping mall, his one eye dazed.  
_Entirely_ oblivious.

She sighed, glancing at her watch.

"He's late."

The redhead turned, annoyed.  
He, apparently, hadn't been as distracted as she'd initially thought.

"Yes, I noticed. Can you ask him _where_ the bloody hell he is?"

His tone pissed her off.

"He's _on his way_. Be patient will you?"

"Be patient? Yeah, sure. Hell, I'll be bloody patient if you tell me who it is we're meeting. I hope I don't have to pay him for this useless makeover you have in mind."

'_Remain rational, Lenalee. You have to bear with this impatient asshole._'

"Lavi, will you _stop_ being so negative? It's really annoying," she retorted, her voice strained with irritation.

"_Fine_," the redhead spat.  
He turned, facing against the hollow interior of the shopping mall, looking down this time, his hands hanging over the rails.

An awkward silence filled the space between them.

Lenalee sighed.

"Tyki."

Lavi was vaguely surprised.

"What?"

She turned to look at him.

Their gazes met, her violet orbs piercing.

"The person who's coming to help out with your clothes, _voluntarily_. It's Tyki."

The redhead was astonished.

"Tyki Mikk?"

Lenalee was starting to lose her cool.

"_Yes_. Tyki Mikk. What other Tyki is there?"

"Jeez. I get it. Don't need to be so snappy."

Huh. Tyki's name had mellowed him a bit, she realised.  
He must really have respected the guy.

'_That's understandable, on the account that Tyki's really done a lot for him.'_

Silence fell between them again.

"He's going to-"

"Look, I'm-"

They stopped short, staring at each other.  
They had both begun speaking at the same time.

Lavi stood down.

"You go first."

Lenalee looked sheepish and her right hand went up to rub the fore-area of her left arm.

"It's okay. You were saying…?"

"Lenalee, please. Ladies first."

The ebony haired girl shrugged, sighing.

"If you say so."

She turned away from Lavi, facing into the wind.

"I was going to say that Tyki will be paying for all the clothes you buy today."

The redhead's eye widened.

"Are you serious?!"

Lenalee turned back to face him, the wind blowing her hair back.

"Yes."

Lavi was still visibly shocked.

"Did you ask him to?!"

The girl frowned.

"Of course not! I wouldn't ask of him such an imposition on _your_ behalf."

Her tone was bitter.

"He decided on his own."

Lavi looked troubled.

'_I guess he doesn't want Tyki to do him anymore favours, especially at this age.'_

"That's a huge imposition."

Lenalee sighed, understanding.

"I know."

He rubbed the back of his head, displacing his bandana slightly.

"Look, Lenalee, I'm sorry-"

"Don't apologize to me. I was only irritated by your attitude. You should be apologizing to Tyki himself when he gets here."

"Yeah, well-"

Lavi didn't have time to finish his sentence.

"Oi, Lenalee."

At the sound of her name, the ebony-haired girl spun around, Lavi following suit.

A tall, fair-skinned man with tousled black hair, looking to be a young adult, waved at them from a distance away, grinning friendlily.

The redhead's one visible eye goggled.

He remembered Tyki well. When he had been younger, he had been the one who'd saved him from bullies on more than one account.

It had been ages since they'd last seen each other.

The twenty-four year-old came to a stop before them, smiling.

"Hey, Lavi, Lenalee. Long time no see, huh? How've you guys been?"

* * *

A/N: Heyy guys. Firstly, I'd like to make it clear that I'm really not implying anything with whatever Lenalee or Lavi or anyone says. No one has told me off about the "Dick" thing and whatnot, but yeah, this fic is going to get really vulgar. And there's really gonna be a lot of that kind of crude humour. I think. Ugh.  
Anyway, yeah, TYKI! Joy, huh? Allen will be coming soon, and Kanda a bit later. ^_^ So, hold out until then. Even Rhoad will make an appearance. And sorry for the pathetic length of this chapter. I've been really tired and a bit restless, so it isn't up to standard, and I hope it came out a little okay.

And to all those who left reviews, read, alerted, favourited, you guys are my inspiration and the people that spur me on. Thank you very very much.  
Please leave a review, if you will? :]


	5. Shopping Irritates Lavi

Metamorphosis

Chapter 4: STAGE ONE; Appearance, Part C

Disclaimer: Don't own anything.

* * *

Tyki and Lenalee blinked as the redhead stepped out of the changing room, his hands in his pockets.

…

"Well?"

Lavi's tone was annoyed, clipped.

"Are you sure this is something you consider 'nice', Lavi?"

"Isn't it?"

Lenalee's brow furrowed and she folded her arms.

"Tyki?"

"Uh."

Tyki had chosen a shop with large variety, Lenalee knew, to gauge Lavi's fashion sense.  
Or, in this case, lack thereof.

The redhead looked ridiculous. He was clad in a dark grey hoodie, baggy denim jeans and a pair of sandals.

And he had forced Lenalee to give him back his dad's glasses.

The twenty-four year-old smacked his forehead with his palm.  
This was hopeless.

When Tyki wass silent, Lenalee chose to speak up.

"I can't believe he asked you to pick out something you thought was better than what you were wearing just now."

"W-What the bloody hell is that supposed to mean?!'

The ebony-haired girl was blunt.

"Your fashion sense is terrible."

She held up two fingers.

"And I'm saying this," a third finger rose, "for the third time today."

Lavi gaped at his friend.

"You're bloody evil! You drag me here, make me change into these stupid clothes, and now you're telling me off?! Respect what I think a little bit, at least!"

Tyki sighed, slightly exasperated.

"Okay, look guys, enough. We've been at this for an hour already."

He looked pointedly at Lavi.

"And you've been picking the exact same kind of thing all seven times I told you to find something."

Lenalee nodded in blatant agreement.

Then the dark-haired adult turned to look at her instead.

"And you, Lenalee, have been scolding him too much."

Tyki's eyes narrowed, his gaze returning to Lavi in all of his hooded glory.

"Lavi, try picking something without a hood."

The redhead sighed, heading back into the changing room.

-

"This?"

Tyki had his hand at his chin, a contemplative look on his face.

"Hmn. It's better, but I think I'm going to have to step in now."

Lavi looked puzzled.  
He frowned, his eyebrows knitting together.

"Huh?"

The oldest amongst the three tapped a finger against his chin pensively.

"I'm not only here to pick out new clothes for you, I'm going to teach you how to pick out clothes for yourself," he said, not looking away.

"Right."

"Besides, you can't be wearing the clothes bought today for the rest of your life."

Silence ensued as Lavi stared at him.  
Lenalee shot him a you-can't-be-serious look.

"Okay, so you can, but the point is the trends will change and it'll be a waste of my hard effort if you don't bother keeping it up and end up a forty-year-old virgin."

"Oi… Can we not talk about my virginity right now?"

The redhead looked tired.

"Right, right. Sorry."

He turned to Lenalee.

"What do you think he would look good in?"

Said girl blinked.

"Why are you asking me?"

"You're his best friend aren't you? You should know him like the back of your hand."

Lenalee's left eyebrow twitched.

"Excluding those things. Focus, Lenalee, focus."

"Well," the ebony-haired girl folded her arms, looking away with an air of annoyance, "he looks good in anything."

Tyki raised an eyebrow.

"But right now…?"

"It's those glasses."

Lenalee walked up to Lavi, who stood in irritated bemusement as she plucked his father's glasses off his nose, and pulled the hood of the jacket down and away from his face to prove her point.

The redhead instantly looked better.

"Oh. I see your point."

Tyki resumed a contemplative air.

"Alright, then. All we have to do is find some clothes, have him put them on, tell him what activities they would be most suited for and then we can go get some lunch."

"I agree. Let's start looking then, Tyki."

Lavi gawked as the two began to move away from him.

"HEY. Don't exclude me."

Lenalee's eyes glinted evilly.

"You would do us both a huge favour if you sat there and waited. When we come back, we'll see what suits you best, then you can choose the ones you dislike the most and we'll not buy them. _Okay_?"

Her tone suggested no argument and the redhead mumbled something under his breath, looking away.

-

"Seriously, Lavi. Why do I always have to make you eat before you actually fill your stomach with some food?"

"It's not my fault I have no appetite. Besides, I already had breakfast."

"You're impossible you know."

"Shut up."

A third voice cut into their conversation.

"Now, now, children, let's not bicker at the table."

"Get him to eat then."

"I'm not eating anything else, and nothing you'll say is going do any bloody thing about it."

Lenalee sighed.

"Well, then. I'll pay, since it's so cheap."

"Since when was _Swenson's_ cheap?! Don't brag just because you get pay from your part-time job!"

"Yeah! You can't pay for this for us!"

The twenty-four year-old frowned.

"Why not?"

"Because you're already paying for my clothes! So _I'm_ paying for this meal!"

Lenalee bit her lip. She didn't have an argument.

Tyki stared straight into Lavi's one visible eye.

"Okay, then. Only if you_ eat_."

The redhead's mouth fell open.

"You cheeky little-"

"I take it you don't mind fish and chips, Lavi?"

"Well, no, but-"

"Excuse me, waiter?"

Lavi turned to Lenalee exasperatedly.

"He just ignored me!"

The ebony-haired girl snorted.

"Serves you right."

Tyki meanwhile, continued to speak to the waiter.

"Another fish and chips for us, if you please."

"Yes sir. One fish and chips coming right up."

A few moments of annoyed silence later, the fish and chips came.

Lavi, his motions dragged, picked up his fork and knife lazily and began picking at his food.

Lenalee glared at him threateningly.

"Eat it."

There was silence as they finished up their food.

All their plates were clean.

"Would you guys like ice-cream?" Lavi asked.

Lenalee smiled and Tyki grinned obviously in a better mood from making sure he ate.

"Sure."

"Me too."

The redhead sighed.A waiteress began clearing the used plates and cutlery.

"Could we order some ice-cream, please, miss?"

The waitress nodded and smiled briefly, calling to another waiter to take their order as she brought the tray away.

A white-haired boy hurried to them, dressed in a collared shirt and vest, a black velvet tie secured around his neck.

Smiling, he whipped up a notebook and pen, ready to take down their orders.

"Yes?"

"I'd like a-"

"A-Allen?!"

The waiter blinked, confused.

Until he spotted the one who had spoken.

"Tyki?!"

The two younger teenager bystanders blinked.

"Allen, is that really you?"

Tyki laughed.  
The white-haired boy grinned.

Their hands clasped in a friendly handshake.

"Yeah, it's me alright. How've you been? It's been like, what, four years since the last time I saw you?"

"Ah, yeah!"

He looked to Lavi and Lenalee.

"And these two are…?"

"Oh I introduce Lenalee Lee and Lavi Bookman."

Lenalee offered a hand.

"Pleased to make your acquaintance. I'm Lenalee."

Allen smiled warmly and shook her extended hand.  
Lenalee's heart skipped a beat.

Lavi noticed the tips of Lenalee's ears going pink.

"I'm Lavi. Nice to meet ya."

He, like Lenalee offered his hand for a friendly handshake.

The white-haired boy grasped his extended fingers, in an iron grip and shook lightly.

"It is a pleasure to meet you two, as well. I'm Allen Walker."

Tyki decided to speak again.

"You're not short anymore, shounen!"

He laughed.

Allen frowned.

"What's that supposed to-"

A fierce looking waitress nudged Allen in the ribs as she passed, he flinching as she glared at him in a pointed gesture; stop talking to the customers and do your job.

The words he had been meaning to say hitched in his throat, and he took a moment to regain his composure.

"What would you like to order…?"

The others blinked at the waiter, before catching the drift.

Allen smiled awkwardly.

"Sorry, I'll have talk to you guys later. I need to do my job first."

He turned to Lenalee for her order.

"Oh, uh. Gold rush for me, please. The chocolate one, if you don't mind."

She smiled warmly.

Allen scribbled into his notebook.

"Alright…"

Then he turned to Lavi.

"I'd like the Sticky Chewy Chocolate, please."

Again, the white-haired waiter scribbled in his notebook.

"One Sticky Chewy Chocolate coming up."

Finally, he looked to Tyki.

"Ah. The usual."

"Strawberry Sunday?"

"Yes, please."

"Alright. I repeat your order; one Chocolate Gold Rush," his eyes flickered to Lenalee, who nodded, "one Sticky Chewy Chocolate," Lavi nodded as Allen's gaze shifted to him, "and one Strawberry Sunday."

Tyki nodded.

"Okay, will that be all?"

"Yes."

The white-haired boy turned to leave.

"Ah, Allen," Tyki called.

Said waiter turned around, his eyes questioning.

"What time does your shift end?"

Allen tapped his chin with a gloved finger.

"About three hours from now."

"Could you hold a moment?"

The white-haired boy blinked and nodded.

Tyki faced Lenalee.

"What time do you think we'll be finished?" he asked.

The other caught on, glancing at her watch.

Lavi watched simply as the ebony-haired girl informed Tyki that they would probably be done around the time Allen would be done with his shift.

"Right. You heard her, boy. I'll meet ya for some poker later."

Allen beamed.

"Sure."

Then he frowned.

"But I'm not a boy anymore. I'm nineteen!"

The redhead raised an eyebrow at the quick change in demeanour.

"Whatever, _shounen_."

Allen scowled and sauntered off, Tyki laughing as he went.

Lenalee and Lavi exchanged glances, both equally left out of the friendly exchange.

-

After eating their ice-cream, the threesome had spent close to three hours shopping for Lavi's clothes, Tyki and Lenalee advising and teaching along the way.

Now, walking back to Swenson's to meet Allen, they were extremely exhausted.  
Especially Lavi, who had been made to try different clothes in each and every store, meaning consecutive pulling of clothes on and off. He then carried the shopping bags all over the mall.

They had even gotten two pairs of new shoes, which Lenalee now carried in paper bags hanging from her delicate fists.  
Tyki now carried a medium sized box from IKEA containing shelf parts for Lavi's new bookcase, as well.

Allen stood waiting just outside the entrance, looking vaguely distracted.

"Hey Allen!" Tyki called, as he and the other two of the threesome placed their shopping bags on the ground.

The white-haired boy's head snapped up at the calling of his name, and he strolled to the three, smiling and waving as he went.

"Hey."

He eyed the shopping bags, eyebrows raised.

"That's a lot of shopping bags. Would you like me to help you carry some?"

Lavi politely refused.

"Nahh, it's okay. I got it."

Allen nodded.

"Okay then. So where do we go?"

Lenalee decided to suggest something.

"Is the rooftop open?"

"I don't think so…"

The redhead in their group decided to point out that the roof was a circular dome.

"Oh, right."

"Where do we go then?"

Then Lenalee's hyperactive brain, which had been dormant up till that point, developed an idea.

"Why don't we all go to Lavi's house?"

Said person gawked at her.

"WHAT? WHY?!"

"Well, isn't it hard for you to haul everything home? Tyki and I are helping you carry your stuff," she gestured to the bags laid out around them, "And Allen could help too. It would be easier on you, right?"

The redhead pondered this a moment.

"Well, you do have a point…"

Lenalee's expression brightened, and her mouth curled into a genuine smile.

"Yeah. And I could stay behind a while to help you sort out your clothes and stuff easier, what with the new bookshelf you have."

Lavi rubbed the back of his neck, still slightly unsure.  
Would the panda give it to him when he came back if he knew of the many people coming over to his house who weren't Lenalee?

He decided to risk it.

After all, how would the panda know if he wasn't around?

-

Allen looked around in wonder at the double-storey apartment.

"Whoa. Did you decorate this place yourself?"

Lavi shut and locked the white door behind them, removing his shoes as the others had.

"Sort of. My old man – like, really old man – sponsored the cost of the stuff here when we moved in."

Tyki's eyebrows rose in awe.

"You've got quite good taste, kid."

The redhead shrugged the comments off.

"Gramps let me design the interior of this place. Praise his open-mindedness instead."

Lenalee stepped on the wood-panelled flooring for the second time that day.

"Wow, this place is neater than when we were here earlier. What happened? Do you have a personal maid who comes around when you want them to?"

Lavi stared at her irritably.

"No. I'm not that undependable. I cleaned it up while you sat in my room."

"So quickly?"

She folded her arms disbelievingly.

"I don't believe you."

The redhead sighed.

"You're being doubly stubborn today."

Lavi seemed too exhausted to argue.

He shook his head, attempting to clear it of the headache only making it worse.

"It doesn't take too long to tidy a couple of messed up magazines, re-arrange the furniture and wash two plates."

Lenalee knotted her eyebrows at his lack in retaliation.

He hadn't even said bloody all the way home, in spite of her smartass comments.

"Are you okay, Lavi?"

Said redhead tugged his bandana off his head, running a hand through his hair.

"I'm fine," he replied, massaging his temples.

The ebony haired girl looked concerned.

Allen and Tyki exchanged glances.

"Maybe you should sit down, Lavi."

He waved off the white-haired boy's concern.

"What would you guys like to drink?"

-

"Okay, then. So… what exactly are we doing now?"

Again, the older two of the foursome exchanged glances.

"We're going to have a short chat to catch up," Tyki answered.

Lenalee blinked as he and Allen raised their cans of Coke and toasted, aluminium on aluminium clinking metallically.

"Oh. Okay then. I'll help Lavi do up that shelf and reorganize his stuff first. We'll play cards and stuff after you're done."

"Alright."

"Is that okay, Lavi?"

There came no sound from the redhead lying on the bed.

"Lavi?"

Allen and Tyki watched as Lenalee rose, padding over to her friend.

"Lavi?"

The redhead's eyes were closed.

"Are you alright?"

The ebony-haired girl felt his forehead.

'_It's kind of warm…_'

She frowned.

At the touch, the redhead stirred.

"Hm? What?"

"You're a bit hot. Are you alright?"

"Yeah. Just a headache."

He sat up, wincing slightly at the pain that shot through his head.

"Do you want to lie down and rest for a while?"

"Nah. It's okay. Let's get started on that shelf."

* * *

A/N: Sorry about this chapter. it's really filler-ish. and I drag the appearance stage that much longer. _and _there wasn't any development. other than Allen's appearance of course.

I think my brain sprouts too much crap.  
Sorry for the uneventful chapter. I'll try to spice it up a little next chapter.

thanks to those who left reviews and alerts and stuff. :)

And Allen is nineteen in this fic. Yes, older than them. :D


	6. Haircut and a More Fashionable Coverup!

Metamorphosis

Chapter 5: STAGE ONE; Appearance Part D

Disclaimer: Don't own.

* * *

They had finally finished arranging hanger after hanger of clothes in Lavi's wardrobe.

The redhead in question flopped down onto the bed, exhausted.

Sitting on the carpeted floor next to the bed, Lenalee retrieved something from her pocket.  
She shoved a small scrap of paper onto Lavi's face.

The redhead got up with a start, the paper falling from his face into his lap.

"Oi!! Bloody hell, Lee!"

The ebony haired girl snorted.

"Don't call me that."

"What's this?"

He turned the paper over in his hands, crossing his legs as he did so.  
Studying the mess of scribbles carefully, he attempted to decode the message within the scrawls.

"'Makeover checklist'…? What the bloody hell? Why are you planning for this so much?"

Lenalee just smiled at him.

He raised an eyebrow at her.

Going over the scribbles again, he began to read aloud.

"Appearance, Impression and Popularity…? Bloody hell, Lee."

The ebony haired girl looked vaguely annoyed.

"It's the plans for your makeover."

"You planned ahead on this thing?"

"Uh-huh."

"What makeover?"

The two turned, watching as Allen approached, Tyki by his side.

They crowded over the slip of paper.

A contemplative silence settled over them.

Tyki was the first to say something.

"Considering the shopping we did today, I'm thinking that we're done with the appearance bit?"

Lenalee shook her head.

"Not quite yet. Tomorrow, I'm bringing Lavi to see a friend of my brother's at a hairdressing shop in town."

"Say what?!"

"You heard me."

She fingered his red locks.

"I mean look at this hair. It has no shape! It's like a giant red fluff ball is sitting on his head."

Lavi groaned.

"Why me…?"

Allen, who had been quiet the whole time, spoke up then.

"What're the 'Impression' and 'Popularity' areas about?"

The ebony haired girl blinked.

"Well, in the 'Impression' area, I'm going to have him learn proper etiquette, how to make a proper good impression on people and how to speak politely with better references to specific audiences."

The redhead in question gawked at her.

"Hey! I'm not a bloody dog! I know my bloody manners bloody well enough, thanks!"

A sharp pain in his head forced Lavi to lie back down.

Thankfully, no one noticed him flinch in the few seconds he took to flop back down onto the bed.

"Don't you think it's more like being treated like a young prince? Having to learn how to behave properly and everything?" Allen offered sympathetically.

"Hmph."

Lavi folded his arms behind his head.

The ebony-haired girl snorted.

"If you _did_ know proper manners, you'd know better than to speak to a lady like that. And you'd know not to say bloody as much as you do."

The redhead tried to keep the tiredness out of his voice.

"I like saying 'bloody'. It's my own bloody accent! And what _lady_? I don't see any ladies around here-"

He was gracelessly knocked out.

Allen was in awe.  
He had never seen anything like that before.

"Y-You've got one hell of a punch there, L-Lenalee…"

Tyki stuck his thumb up.

"Cheers to the mighty power of women!"

Lenalee grinned before turning back to the paper.

"The only problem now is to find a coach…"

The two men (who were not knocked out like a certain redhead) exchanged glances.

"Coach?"

Lenalee nodded.

"Yes. A coach."

"What do you need a coach for? Can't you teach him yourself?"

Lenalee tapped the side of her head in thought.

"Well, I've thought about it, but since it's just been the two of us for so long, I don't think I can teach him how to make a good first impression properly, or proper etiquette or speaking politely."

Tyki and Allen looked at her questioningly.

She ruffled Lavi's hair fondly.

"His ruffian ways sort of rubbed off on me. So… yeah."

"Oh. I see."

There was brooding silence.

"Why not Allen teach him?"

Lenalee looked up, slightly confused.

"Huh?"

"You will, won't you Allen?" Tyki asked, patting Allen on the back.

The white-haired boy grinned.

"Yeah. Of course! I'm actually an etiquette instructor-"

"And he always gets all the attention from the ladies whenever he enters a room, so that'd be good for the first impression bit."

Allen's neck flushed red.

"Tyki! What the heck? Is this sabotage or something?!"

Lenalee giggled.

"Alright then, if you wouldn't mind, Allen, please teach this idiot some manners, etiquette and the proper way to make a good impression on people."

She beamed.

Allen looked at her, then back at Tyki, and back again at her.

And gave in.

He sighed.

"Alright. Alright. When, where?"

Lenalee and the twenty-four year-old exchanged high-fives.

"YAY!"

The ebony haired girl turned to the white-haired boy.

"The day after tomorrow, if you would, at my place. I don't think my brother will mind, since he's never minded Lavi."

Grabbing a post-it and pen from the unconscious redhead's desk, Lenalee scribbled down her contact numbers and address and handed the post-it to Allen.

"Be there at eleven thirty in the morning, alright? If you get lost, just give me a call."

"Alright," he said, taking the post-it from her hand.

"I'll tell this bloke later when he wakes up."

Tyki glanced outside the window.

"I think it's about time we got home, eh Allen?"

"Wow. Time sure flies. It's already dark."

Lenalee shrugged.

She looked at the heap on the bed that was Lavi.

"Do you want me to wake him up?"

She fingered his red locks.

Allen shook his head.

"He looked tired. I don't think we should wake him. Let him get some rest."

-

Lenalee opened the door for them, the warm summer night's air rushing into the cool interior of the house.

"You're not leaving, Lenalee?"

The ebony haired girl shook her head.

"Not yet. I'll help him do a couple of chores, then leave."

Tyki smiled.

"Don't become his maid, now, Lenalee."

She laughed.

"I won't. Thanks for all the help today. I really appreciate it. And I bet Lavi does too!"

"Sure. It was fun."

"See you on Monday, Lenalee."

"Yeah. I'll see you on Monday, too, Allen."

She bowed as the stepped out of the door.

She waved as they walked away.

"Thanks guys. See you again some time!"

When they disappeared around the bend, Lenalee shut the door, standing with her back against the door.

"Time to get started on some chores."

-

"Where the bloody hell are you?! It's too bloody crowded! Why did you have to pick such a bloody noisy, bloody packed place for this?!"

He was shouting into his phone already, what with all the noise he needed to be heard over.

The redhead scowled.

He hated crowded places.

_Really _hated crowded places."

"_Shut up! Where are _you?!_ I told you to wait for me at the entrance of Starbucks! I'm standing right here, but I can't see you!"_

"I'm standing right here, too, but I can't bloody see you either, thanks-"

Something bumped into his shoulder.

"Ah, sorry-"

He spun around, the cell phone held a distance away from his ear.

He blinked.

"Lavi?"

"Lee?"

They both lowered their phones and shut them off.

Lavi grinned.

"Finally, I've found you."

Lenalee felt like being annoying.  
Pay back for calling her Lee like when he used to-

'_Stop. Those thoughts are for another time.'_

"Actually, I found you. I was the one who bumped into you."

The redhead's grin drooped, and he assumed a tired expression.

"Whatever, Lee."

"Either way, it's good you're here."

Lavi attempted to control his irritation.

"Yep. Where were you?"

"I've been standing here for the past ten minutes."

The redhead challenged her with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah? I've been here the bloody past half hour."

"Oh."

She narrowed her eyes at him.

"Really…?"

"Yes."

Then she offered him an apologetic smile.

"Sorry, then."

"Hn."

"…Though, it isn't quite my fault."

She pulled his hood down.

"Hey-"

"You were wearing this stupid thing again. I was expecting you in some of the clothes we bought you. How do you even stand the heat in this?"

"I don't know. I think I'm thermally resistant, in some way."

Lavi attempted to pull the hood back up.

Lenalee shot him a look from the corner of her eyes.

She seemed to still be pissed off for not using the clothes they had bought the day before.

He sighed, deciding not to piss her off.

"I'm wearing a T-shirt you picked out for me yesterday underneath."

This seemed to quell her irritation.

"Ah. Then take that ridiculous hoodie off."

"Later."

She rolled her eyes.

Lavi sighed.

"It's too bloody crowded right now. No space to move."

She folded her arms, staring ahead as they wove through the crowd.

"Mmkay."

They walked in silence.

"Still calling me that?"

Lavi took his time to answer.

"Yeah."

She sighed.

"You… haven't called me that in years."

Lenalee's tone intrigued him.

"…Yeah, I know."

The ebony haired girl's face became a picture of anxiety.

"Three years ago, right?"

"Yeah."

…

She shifted her weight from foot to foot.

Lavi tried to meet her eyes.

But her gaze was intently focused on her booted feet.

"Anyway, let' get going. The appointment is at two-thirty."

She led the way, striding past him.

The scars on his wrists throbbed.

-

"Well… He's got relatively healthy hair. It's not unhealthy, but it's not too healthy."

Lenalee raised her eyebrows.

"That good or bad?"

The blonde hair dresser smiled.

"It's good."

The redhead felt odd.

He was seated in a high chair, his shoulders wrapped in a large black cloth, clipped up at the back.  
To top it off, a woman's long, delicate fingers were massaging his head, judging the quality of his messy, unkempt red locks.

That was new.

"He doesn't have dandruff either."

"Wow. Really?"

Lavi was vaguely insulted.

"Don't sound so surprised. It's not as if I should have loads of dandruff or something, Lee."

"Stop calling me that! And _normal_ people _all_ have dandruff. You don't have _any_."

"Is that right?"

The hair dresser, Cloud Nine, answered.

"Yes, she's quite right. Though, about there being no dandruff _at all_, I might have missed some areas. Would you like me to go into details?"

The redhead shook his head.

"Nahh, it's okay. I know the details. It's like a yeast infection of some sort right? The scalp attracts the yeast and stuff, blablabla."

Cloud Nine laughed.

"Yes, quite right."

Her hands disentangled from his red locks, leaving it a little messier than before.

"Smartass," Lenalee murmured.

"I heard that."

Cloud Nine continued to chortle softly as she got out her tools.

"You guys are close, huh?"

She smiled, setting them down on the counter in front of the mirror Lavi faced.

Lenalee beamed.

"We've been best friends for ten years."

The redhead smiled.

"Yeah."

The hairdresser's mouth curved into an understanding smile.

"I think I know what you mean."

She turned to Lenalee.

"So, you'll go get 'that', and I'll cut and style his hair."

The ebony haired-girl smiled.

"Yep!"

Lavi was confused.

"What's 'that'?"

Cloud Nine and Lenalee exchanged glances before sharing a knowing grin.

"Hi-mit-su."

The seventeen year-old boy rolled his eyes.

"Women."

The ebony haired girl grinned at the older woman.

"I'll get going then, Cloud Nine-san."

She turned to the redhead.

"If I don't come back before you're done, just wait here until I get back. And you'll be paying for the haircut yourself."

Lavi's head was starting to spin all of a sudden.

He didn't feel like arguing about being talked to like a kid.

He averted his eyes instead.

"Okay. I'll wait for your return."

Lenalee flicked his forehead with her forefinger.

He looked up to see his smiling face.

"Don't be so emo. I'm not torturing you or anything."

She straightened up.

"I only brought you here to this crazily crowded place because Cloud Nine-san will give you a discount as big brother's friend."

She petted his red, unkempt haired head.

"Don't be too sad that I'm gone."

She threw him a peace sign and ran off.

Lavi seemed irritated.

"Tch. Who's sad that who's gone, huh?!" he called after her.

He turned back to the mirror.

"Jeez."

Cloud Nine began combing her hair, and amused smirk playing on her lips.

There was silence for a moment.

"Cloud Nine-san…"

At this, the older woman perked up.

"Yes?"

She watched as the young man's jaw tightened.

He jerked his chin in the direction of his grey pullover draped over the chair next to them.

"Would you mind if I put on my pullover before we begin? It's starting to get cold."

-

"An eye patch?"

Lenalee nodded her head vigorously.

"Yes. My friend needs it."

"I don't think I have any more eye patches left here."

The shopkeeper tapped her chin.

"Let me go check in the storage room."

The brunette spun on her heel, heading into the depths of the shop storage room, leaving Lenalee standing outside waiting.

She hoped desperately that this shop would have an eye patch.

All the shops she had been to previously, five of them if she was not mistaken, had all run out of eye patches with the coming cosplay convention.

How frustrating.

There was the sound of footsteps as the brunette shopkeeper stepped back into view.

She beamed at Lenalee.

"You're in luck. We've got a few pieces left. What colour would you like?"

The seventeen year-old blinked.

"I think the routine black would be okay. Two pieces, if you will?"

The brunette nodded and hurried back into the storage room, returning with two black eye patches, as Lenalee had requested.

The ebony-haired girl grinned and lay the bills on the countertop as the shopkeeper tucked the two eye patches into a fresh Ziploc bag before sealing them in a mini plastic carry bag for her.

Lenalee grinned, thanking the brunette as she skipped out of the shop, ready to see her newly groomed best friend.

* * *

A/N: YAY! How was it? Is it better than the previous chapter? I hope so. :D I'm leaving what Lavi looks like after his hair cut and stuff a surprise for a while. :D Like the clothes episode. Don't worry. He'll appear in full dress soon. Probably next chapter. Haha. By the way, this is the last sequence of the Appearance section, as I'm sure you can tell. :D  
Thanks for reading!  
To those who reveiwed, you have my thanks, and again, cookies~!  
Please review! :D


	7. Last Minute Cancellations Anger Lenalee

Metamorphosis

Chapter 6: Intermission 1 Part A

Disclaimer: I don't own. You should know that if you've made it this far.

* * *

It was only nine in the morning.

And Lavi felt as though his head was going to split into two already.

"Yeah… I thought that I'd get better by now, so I didn't call you yesterday."

"_That's alright then, Lavi. If you're not feeling well, we can do it another day when you're better."_

The redhead massaged his temples, the vicious migraine pounding in his head endlessly.

He was getting dizzy again.

"Thanks, Allen, for understanding."

His chest felt constricted.

He tried to breathe in deeper.  
But it hurt.

"_Not at all. A person who is unwell should rest. Feel better soon, yeah?"_

Lavi half-smiled even though Allen couldn't see him.

"Thanks. I'll keep that in mind."

"_Sure."_

A pause as he searched his mind for what the other thing he had to tell Allen when he called the white-haired boy was.

"Oh yeah, Allen."

"_Hm?"_

"If Lenalee calls and asks, don't tell her anything."

"_Why?"_

"I… don't want her to worry."

Allen seemed to consider this.

"…_Okay. I won't."_

There was silence for a brief moment.

"_She might get mad at you, you know."_

Lavi coughed, a metallic taste lingering on his tongue.

"_Are you okay?"_

His throat felt like sandpaper.

"Fine. And yeah, I know she'll get mad. It's okay. We're best friends. It'll work out," he croaked.

He picked up the glass of water on his desk, gulping it down.

"_You really care about her, don't you, Lavi?"_

The redhead raised his eyebrows.

He set the glass down with a thunk.

"Huh? Of course I do. She's been my best friend for ten years."

There was laughter on the other side of the line.

"_That's not what I meant, but never mind. Take some medication and drink lots of water. Most importantly, rest. Get well soon, Lavi!"_

Still slightly bemused, Lavi replied, "Uh… Okay. I will. Thanks."

-

He had known this would be hard, considering Lenalee's mannerisms.

And he had tried to avoid it by sending a text message instead of calling the black-haired girl directly.

'_But it had always been inevitable, I guess._'

She had called him right back, and started yelling in his ear, only making the pain in his head worse.

"Sorry. I just can't go."

Lavi suppressed a cough.  
He hoped he didn't sound too sick.

"But _why_?! Don't you think it's kind of rude to cancel on such important appointments on this kind of short notice?!" the ebony haired girl retorted from the other end of the line.

He held the mobile phone away from his ear.  
His best friend was being awfully difficult today.

And awfully loud.

And it was cold today. In freaking summer.

How could it be cold in _summer_?

"Yes. I know. I already called Allen to tell him. I'm sorry."

His voice was still hoarse.  
And it was getting colder.

He tugged on his pullover.

Lenalee snorted on the other end, too angry to notice, apparently.

"'Sorry' isn't enough you idiot! And you won't even tell me why?!"

She did not see the redhead's jaw tighten on the other end of the line.  
It still hurt to breathe.

"I just _can't._ That's all you need to know."

"And why's that?!"

His headache was getting really unbearable.

"Because you don't need to know anything else. I just can't go."

"I'm your _best friend_ and I don't need to know?!"

Obviously, if he kept speaking in this calm tone of voice, the argument would never end.  
Lavi sighed.  
It was getting so cold.

He shivered.

"Yeah. That's what I've been saying. _You don't need to bloody know_. So stop being so stubborn. It's a personal matter. I can't tell you."

There was a stunned silence before Lenalee came fighting back with an argument, instantly out of her stupor.

"Personal ma- Don't 'personal_ matter' _me! Bloody impolite! I've known you for what, ten years and-"

There was a click and the beeping of a disconnected line.

The ebony haired girl stared in disbelief as the phone beeped away.

"That _jerk_!"

She punched the surface of her desk offhandedly, instantly regretting it when the desk lamp toppled over and landed on the carpeted floor of her room with a crash.

"Lenalee, is everything okay up there?!" her brother called worriedly from the kitchen.

"It's _fine_ Nii-san. I just dropped something."

She cursed.

"That bloody idiot! I'd better apologize to Allen again. Tch."

She searched her contacts for Allen's name vigorously, irritated beyond measure.

Her phone could barely take the stress.

The white-haired boy answered after the third ring.

"_Hello...?"_

'_So much faster than that redhead idiotic rabbit. HMPH!_'

"Hello, Allen? This is Lenalee."

"_Oh, hey. What's up?"_

The ebony-haired girl sighed.

"I'd like to apologize on Lavi's behalf because he can't make it for today's meeting. And since he's the point of the meeting, we'll need to cancel it. So, like I said, I'd like to apologize."

"_Ah, it's okay. It's really no inconvenience."_

'_See! So polite compared to you, BAKA LAVI!_'

"But really, I'm so sorry. That idiot cancelled on such short notice. Are you sure you're not troubled by it at all?"

"_Yep. It's genuinely A-okay."_

"He's really an idiot. I can't believe him. He didn't even want to tell me why he cancelled."

Lenalee's mouth curled into a frown.

"Did he, by any chance, tell you?"

"_Huh? No, he didn't. He just said he 'couldn't come'."_

'_AHA! I thought so, you snivelling little brat!'_

The ebony haired girl sighed.

There was silence.

"Okay then. I'll stop disturbing you now. I'll go demand an answer from him this very instant. I'm gonna go over and beat the heck out of him. Sorry again for the inconvenience, Allen."

"_A-Ah. Lenalee, hold on a moment. If you want to know, I can tell you. But don't go beat Lavi up. That isn't exactly something very nice to do, right?"_

'_Hn. But it's what he deserves!_'

"_I know you're thinking he deserves it, but hear me out, aite?"_

'_It's like he reads my thoughts!!'_

"Okay. Go on…?"

"_Well, you see. Lavi told me not to tell you if you asked, so I didn't, but I don't think you should stomp on over to beat him up. Though I'm pretty sure you're capable of doing that. I feel it better that you know why he cancelled on us."_

Lenalee raised an eyebrow. She was curious now.

"Okay. And…?"

"_Lavi isn't feeling well."

* * *

_

A/N: Sorry for the short chapter. I hope it isn't too bad.  
Thanks to all who reviewed, review and will review. And thank you for the alerts too.


	8. Unearthed Morbidity

Metamorphosis

Chapter 7: Intermission 1 Part B

Disclaimer: Don't own.

* * *

Lavi's lone emerald eye fluttered open, his vision blurry.

His eyesight adjusting to the light slowly, he tried to remember what had happened.

"I passed out…?"

Then he realised he was holding something.

"My cell phone…?"

His eyes widened as it hit him.  
It had been malfunctioning recently.

And before he had passed out, it had suddenly gone blank.

Which meant…

He jerked upright.

"Lenalee! Bloody hell, she's gonna be so mad!"

He scrambled to stand up.

His vision blanked and his head felt fuzzy.

And he fell over backwards on to his bed.

"Shit."

He sat up slowly this time, waiting for his vision to return.

Leaning on his left arm, he rubbed his temples.

"It's so bloody cold in here. God."

He looked around wearily.

"I'd better call Lenalee…"

Slumping forward, he flipped open his phone.

The electronic device jumped out of his hands, vibrating, startling him.

Lavi was too dizzy to catch on what was going on quickly.

"Wha…?"

_Bzzt._

_Bzztbzzt._

Was it just his imagination, or was the phone vibrating very urgently?

He bent down and picked it up.

Lenalee's name appeared on the screen.

He sighed.

He had intended on calling her either way. Might as well pick up.

"Hello…?"

"Lavi?" a worried voice called back.

The redhead ran a hand through his hair.

"Yeah. Look, Lenalee, I'm sorry. I hadn't intended on putting the phone down. I think the connection was interrupted-"

"I'm on my way there now!"

Lavi frowned on his side of the line.

"Wha- Lenalee, what are you-"

_Click_.

He slapped his forehead with his palm, sending electricity whizzing through his head.

"Bloody-"

He shook his head, attempting to clear the buzzing out.

But it only made him dizzier.

And for the second time that day, he passed out.

-

Lenalee came to a stop before the door of her best friend's apartment, huffing and gasping for air.

"You'd better have taken care of yourself properly, you idiot," she muttered irritably.

She rang the doorbell, tapping her foot impatiently.

Nothing happened.

The ebony haired girl folded her arms.

She rang the doorbell again, waiting for some kind of acknowledgement from the inside.

Again, nothing.

Exasperated, the ebony-haired girl punched the doorbell repeatedly.

Still nothing happened.

She gritted her teeth.

It was either the redheaded idiot was too sick to open the door and had passed out somewhere or…

He'd lied to Allen, and had actually tried running away from the etiquette lesson by going out to do something else.

She frowned.

If it were the latter, she would _murder him_.

She stood outside the apartment door, fuming silently.

'_Be reasonable, Lenalee, reasonable and patient…_'

Lenalee tapped her chin, staring aimlessly at the door.

Lavi wasn't the playboy type.

He didn't have any friends aside from herself, Tyki and Allen, both of whom he was not with; Tyki had work that day, and Allen was supposed to be part of their plans for today, so that was impossible. He also hated crowded places, and would rather sit at home and study more than anything else.  
That idiot was probably smart enough to know she'd come looking for him here if he was running away by sitting at home and studying, so he wouldn't consider such a stupid option.

To sum it up, he couldn't have possibly left and gone somewhere to do something. He wasn't the type.

Which only left one possibility.

The redhead was too sick to open the door.

Or _worse_.

Lenalee felt the fear rising in her chest, her heart thumping wildly.

She fumbled with the zip on her sling bag, struggling to find her chain of keys.

-

"Lavi…?" she whispered.

The apartment was dark.

And quiet. _Very _quiet.

She shut the door behind her and padded across the bottom landing of the apartment, switching the ceiling lights on as she went.

"Lavi?" she called a second time.

Still nothing.

She stepped into the kitchen.

There was a kettle on the stove, but it seemed like the kettle had been left untouched for a while.

And Lavi wasn't here.

She continued to look around, sauntering back to the living room and climbed the stairs to the second-floor landing.

Her every footstep resounded loudly in the seemingly empty apartment.

"Lavi…!" she called, slightly louder than before.

The breath hitched in her throat.

She was so near to his room already and there was still no response?

Lenalee shook her head.

'_Maybe he has his headphones on. Or maybe I'm too soft._'

She looked around, spotting a small picture frame on a nearby wooden antique set of drawers.

Her fingers brushed it lightly.

A little girl with black hair tied into two pigtails stood next to a geeky-looking boy, slightly shorter than she, with red hair, her fingers forming a peace sign. Her other hand clutched a soccer ball to her side.

A small smile played on her lips.

They had been fourteen.  
He'd shot up so quickly a year later that now he towered above her.

The ebony haired seventeen year-old looked away from the photograph.

His bedroom door was on her extreme right.

Finally coming to the white door, she clutched the door knob, turning it slowly, soundlessly.

It creaked as she pushed it further and she cringed at the sound.

It echoed around her loudly.

"Lavi…?"

Her eyes widened and she dashed to the bed, worriedly.

The redhead was sprawled across the bed awkwardly, his legs dangling off the side. His head had missed the pillow by a few inches, and his left hand hung off the side of the bed, his phone lying on the floor under it.

Her eyes wide, Lenalee placed a hand on his forehead.

It was so _hot_.

Her stomach turned, fear choking her throat.

She shook him.

"Lavi?! Lavi!"

The redhead in question stirred.

"Wha…?"

His neck flushed with the heat of the fever, his one visible eye glazed.

His unfocused gazed wondered about before finally landing on Lenalee's face.

"What… are you doing…here… Lee?"

He attempted to sit up, his head spinning.

She didn't know what to do.  
And ended up bombarding him with questions.

"Are you okay, Lavi?! Have you taken your temperature!? Have you taken any medicine?! Are you feeling dizzy?! Does it hurt anywhere?! Have you been drinking enough water?! Do you need a tissue?! Do you need a hot drink, or a glass of water-"

"Lee," he cut in.

He ran a hand through his messy red locks.

"I'm… fine. What are you doing here?"

His one emerald eye looked up at her.

She drew back, still watching him with worried eyes.

He stood up, pacing to the wardrobe.

"Allen-"

"Ah, yeah. I'm sorry. Would you… give Allen a call, and tell him to head over to your place? I'll wash up and we can go. It's too troublesome to cancel, right? Give me a moment."

Lenalee was too stunned to say anything.

Lavi retrieved a new pair of jeans and a long-sleeved shirt. He tugged one of the new hoodies off a hanger and threw it onto the bed.

"No, that's- I-"

And he disappeared into the bathroom, the door shutting with a click.

"Lavi…"

Her expression became melancholic.  
She sighed.

Looking around, her gaze landed on a small transparent casing in a pencil stand on the redhead's desk.

-

Lavi exited the bathroom several minutes later, looking frazzled.

He didn't notice Lenalee's threatening stance.

She pushed him onto the bed.

He was too dizzy to notice the falling sensation until his face hit the pillow.

"Mphee… Phaph arf phyou phoin…?"

"Stop calling me that. And I am making you lie down."

The redhead rolled over meekly, his hair a mess.

"Why…?"

His voice was soft, brittle, his eye shadowed by a dark circle.

She sat on the bed next to him and stuck the thermometer in his mouth, holding it up when it slipped.

She looked at him incredulously.

But the redhead really seemed oblivious.

The thermometer beeped.

"Because," Lenalee removed the thermometer, her eyes widening momentarily as she looked at the reading, "you're sick."

She showed him the thermometer.

Lavi's visible eye looked at the tiny screen of the thermometer.

"Forty-two degrees Celsius…" he read sleepily.

"You have a really high fever, you idiot."

"Oh. Okay…"

The redhead's eye fluttered closed.

"Give me five minutes to nap, then we can get out of here and… meet Allen…"

The ebony haired girl looked around. Spotting the comforter folded neatly at the edge of the bed and pulled it up to the redhead's shoulders.

She stood up, heading for the door.

She set her bag down on the floor next to the desk before opening the door.

She flipped the fan switch on and shut the door quietly.

-

It had been three hours.  
And now, it was dark outside.

Lenalee set down her cup noodles.

Checking the wall clock again, she flipped the wet towel on Lavi's head over.

It seemed like his fever was subsiding, thankfully.

She had boiled some water earlier, and now a cup of hot chocolate sat atop the desk next to a steaming bowl of porridge. A glass of water sat a ways off from the two warmer articles of food.

The ebony haired girl couldn't help but wonder how the redhead had fallen sick.  
He was usually immune to this kind of thing.

Her hand, resting on the wooden desk top, brushed something.

She looked up, finding it to be an empty version of the redhead's pencil case.

Some stationeries lay beside it, spread out randomly.

Like they were being aired or dried.

She scanned the rest of the desk, spotting a thick, old-looking book at the edge of the desk. It looked vaguely familiar.  
She picked it up.

Her eyes widened in realisation.

Flashback-

_" It's raining."_

_Lavi held a hand to his forehead, looking out into the heavy storm.  
A mini portable umbrella hung from his other hand by a strap._

_Lenalee sighed in disappointment._

_"My umbrella isn't in my bag!"_

_The redhead gave her an are-you-stupid look._

_"Just because summer is starting doesn't mean you don't bring an umbrella to school, considering where we live."_

_Lenalee frowned, visibly annoyed._

_"Well, _sorry_."_

_Her best friend sighed and rolled his eyes._

_He detached the dark green umbrella from his right hand and gave it to her._

_"Take mine then."_

_The ebony haired girl gawked at him._

_"What, are you stupid? It's a freaking monsoon out there!"_

_He bonked her on the head with the umbrella._

_"HEY! What was that for?!"_

_"That's exactly my point, Lenalee. It's a bloody monsoon."_

_He held the umbrella out for her to take._

_"Take it."_

_Lenalee's mouth fell open._

_"But you need it too! I can call a cab from here!" she protested._

_Lavi sighed, frustrated. _

_"Don't bloody waste your money. And you know it's against school rules to call a cab here, even if it's raining as heavily as this."_

_His tone took on a vaguely insulted air._

_"And _I'm_ a _guy_. It's better for _girls_ like _you_ to stay safe, and use the bloody umbrella. I'm tougher than you. So _you_ take it."_

_The ebony haired girl bit her lip._

_"But your homework! It'll get wet!"_

_The redhead was agitated by now._

_"I'll probably just lose my homework over the weeks! Who gives a bloody damn if it gets wet?!"_

_Lenalee glared at him._

_"Fine. I do care if it gets wet. And I wouldn't lose my homework."_

_She folded her arms and snorted._

_Lavi rolled his eyes and unzipped his bag. He pulled out a plastic folder._

_Lenalee had known the redhead long enough to know that that was his homework and assignments folder._

_"Here's the solution then. We're meeting tomorrow aren't we?"_

_He pushed the folder to her._

_"You take this home, keep it dry and in sight. I'll get them when I go over tomorrow."_

_Again she attempted to protest._

_"What about your other important things?! Things I can't take home with me?!"_

_Lavi threw his hands up in aggravation._

_He set his bag on the ground, retrieving his cell phone, iPod and an antique looking book._

_Pulling off his large hoodie, he wrapped these items in the fabric thickly._

_"There. They're protected."_

_He tucked the bundle into his bag before hoisting it over his shoulder once more._

_Lenalee's mouth hung open, a protest caught in her throat._

_The redhead ran a hand through his unkempt red hair._

_"So hard to please women," he mumbled._

_He rubbed the back of his neck._

_Before she could say anything, he stated firmly, "I'll call a cab when I get to the school gate. No objections now."_

_He turned to leave._

_"But-"_

_He covered her mouth with a cold, pale hand._

_"No buts."_

_And he turned on his heel and walked off into the rain._

Flashback End-

She smoothed the worn cover of the ancient-looking book that lay on her lap with her hands.

"I'm such an idiot," she muttered.

In actual fact, Lavi's house was a long way away from the school.  
Much further away than hers was.

And this book was proof that he'd not called that cab.  
It looked like it had been wet and hastily dried.

And no wonder he'd 'hung up' on her earlier.  
His phone was probably suffering some kind of glitch from getting soaked in water.

"Self-sacrificial idiot. You and your stupid 'save the day'-complex."

The redhead stirred.

"Wha…?"

The ebony haired girl sat down next to him on the bed.

"Lavi? Are you okay?"

The person in question sat up. The wet cloth fell off his forehead and into his lap.

Lavi blinked, the wet cloth now resting in his palm.

He looked at Lenalee.

"What's going on?"

His gaze wondered to the wall clock.

"Bloody hell! Why aren't we at your house with Allen for the etiquette lesson?!"

He threw the comforter onto the floor, getting up off the bed.  
The wet cloth flew away and smacked into a wall.

And for the fifth or sixth time that day, fell over, landing on the floor hard.

"H-Hey! Are you okay?"

"Got up… too fast…"

She helped him back onto the bed.

"You're such an idiot!"

She smacked him across the arm.

"Ow! Jeez Lee! What the bloody hell?"

"You've caught a cold. You had a freaking high fever earlier. So bloody rest!"

Lenalee snatched the thermometer off the table.

"Take your temperature," she ordered, pushing the thermometer to him.

The redhead reluctantly took it and stuck it under his tongue.

She carted the bowl of porridge to Lavi's empty hands with and dragged the mug of hot chocolate closer to the edge of the table, just within reach if her best friend wanted to sip it.

"You eat this. I can tell from your expression – and that pale colour your face is – that you've got a massive headache or something. So I'm going to fetch you an aspirin or two."

Lavi raised an eyebrow at her disbelievingly.

A vein threatened to pop on Lenalee's head.

She didn't understand why she did all these things so painstakingly for such an ungrateful brat.

"Fine! Be ungrateful, you annoying jerk!"

She stood up.

"The medicine box is in your bathroom cabinet right?!"

Lenalee stomped away in the direction of the room in question.

She turned around, glaring menacingly at the redhead.

"Eat! And you had better take the aspirins when I give them to you! I'll be staying overnight to take care of you, seeing as how you're so stupid that you keep on freaking getting up too fast and falling over like a dead fly!"

Lavi's face was expressionless.

The thermometer beeped.

The ebony haired girl backtracked, grabbing the thermometer out of his hands.

"Thirty eight point two degrees. That's better, but you still have a fever."

She marched back in the direction of the bathroom.

"There's a spare toothbrush in the cabinet, too, if you want it," he said monotonously.

Lenalee ignored his droning and flicked the bathroom light switch on.

Stepping inside the blue tile-decorated space, she quickly rinsed the edge of the tip of the thermometer.

Then she pulled the mirror surface of the bathroom cabinet open.

Inside sat a small box with a red cross on it.

The medicine box.

Next to it lay a small unopened piece of packaging, within it, a new red toothbrush.

Lenalee noted the location of the toothbrush before undoing the buckles on the medicine box.

Flipping open the top, she froze, shocked by the discovery of something she had never hoped to see near her best friend again lying amidst the boxes of aspirins, bottles of disinfectant as well as antiseptic and other basic medical supplies.

A minute ticked by, and Lavi called to her from outside the bathroom.

"Lee? What's keeping you?"

There was a slight creak as the redhead stood up slowly and the shuffling of bare feet on the carpeted floor.

"What, you can't find the medicine box?"

He was vaguely mortified to find the ebony-haired girl standing stock still, her violet eyes wide.

Lavi now stood behind Lenalee, his head poking over her shoulder to see what it was that had stilled her.

His visible eye widened.

He was careless.

She wasn't supposed to see it.

The reminder of the old days.

Of three years ago.

Next to a roll of bandages, a small metal blade glistened under the electric light.

A pen knife.

* * *

A/N: I don't know what to say about this chapter. It might not be very good, considering the amateur language presented. Tell me what you think. I know this was awfully long-winded, but I decided to input that last part for Lavi/Lenalee romance development. The ending's inspiration came from my multi-chapter compilation of torture fics. I wrote something similar for Lavi in that compilation. I personally think it's more poetic there, though. So, do drop by and read that if you will.  
Review?


	9. Touchy Arguments

Metamorphosis

Chapter 8: Intermission 1 Part B

Disclaimer: I don't own.

* * *

"… Get back into bed and finish the porridge."

"L-Lenalee…"

Lavi couldn't see her expression.

Lenalee retrieved a box of aspirins. She took a pair of the pills before returning them to their original place.

The medicine box shut with a click.

"I've got the aspirin, so you should get back to the bed and finish the food while it's still warm. Please remember that you still have a fever."

"O-Oi…"

She visibly gritted her teeth, her jaw tightening.

"Please, Lavi. Get back to the bed."

Her tone was dismissive, irritated.

The redhead resumed a troubled expression but backed up out of the bathroom.

Lenalee lingered in the bathroom a while longer, her hand on the door of the cabinet. With her other hand, she obtained and opened the red toothbrush packaging and left the red plastic tool in the toothbrush stand on the sink top.

In the room, Lavi sat on the bed with his legs crossed, porridge bowl in hand.

The ebony-haired set down the aspirins on the table next to the glass of water and took a seat on the desk chair. She began to play with her fingers, never taking her narrowed eyes off them.

Lavi watched her apprehensively.

"The penknife you saw-"

"Eat the porridge. It's getting cold."

Dismissive again.

This was just hopeless.

He sighed and gave in.

The scene continued in silence until the redhead finished the porridge.

Lenalee offered her hand to take the empty bowl, handing him the glass of water at the same time.

She didn't meet his eye.

"Lenalee, I-"

Taking his wrist, she shoved the pills into his hand.

"Swallow those, then finish the hot chocolate."

Her tone was clipped, her sentences curt.

The redhead couldn't recall encountering this kind temperament from her.

She got up.

"Where can I sleep tonight? I'll need to set up the futon or something. Sleeping bag, maybe."

"Well, you can sleep here with me, or you could take the guest room at the end of the corridor. But Lenalee, I-"

"I'll be sleeping here, then. I'll need to watch you overnight in case your fever acts up again."

She was almost at the door.

Lavi's jaw tightened.

"Oi, Lenalee! Bloody listen to me, will you?!"

The ebony haired girl turned slowly, her expression blank.

"What?"

Her tenor annoyed.

The redhead frowned, his brows furrowing.

"The penknife you saw earlier," he paused, in case she intended on interrupting again.

She didn't.

"I don't use it."

Lenalee's expression did not change.

He tried to read her eyes. But they were blank. Infinite pools of violet.

"I know."

She turned around to face the door, placing her hand on the doorknob.

"I'll be making dinner, then."

And she opened the door and let herself out.

'_She doesn't believe me.'_

-

"Lenalee…"

The girl looked up, her hand clutching a fork with a twirl of spaghetti on it.  
Lavi was inwardly relieved; her eyes were no longer blank.

The two-hour dinner preparations must have helped somewhat.

"Hm?"

And the angry, irritated, annoyed and generally negative-emotion vibes were gone.

He scratched the back of his head, his own portion of spaghetti half-way eaten.

"I forgot to thank you for doing the chores the other day. So, thanks I guess."

Lenalee blinked at him. Her eyes met his for a moment.

"Oh. 'Kay. Don't mention it."

She put the fork in her mouth.

The redhead sighed.

He forked up some spaghetti before putting it in his mouth.

Silence. And soft clatters of metal on ceramic.

Unexpectedly, the ebony haired girl broke the silence.

"You know…"

She gathered her plate and stood up, the cutlery clattering slightly.

"I believe you."

She backed up out and away from her seat and advanced to the kitchen doorway.

For a moment, Lavi could not believe it.

His mouth hung open until Lenalee had disappeared from sight.

He stared momentarily at his empty plate before setting the utensils down on the piece of ceramic slowly, as quietly as he could.

Apparently Lenalee had bionic hearing.

"Leave your plate and stuff. You get back in bed and rest. I'll clean up. Please remember to take the aspirins," she called from the kitchen.

The redhead sighed and got up, his chair dragging noisily on the wood-panelled floor.

-

Lavi shuffled under his comforter, restless to be told to sleep at this hour.

He glanced up at the wall clock which hung over his desk.

'_Only twelve AM…_'

He turned on his side, he looked to where Lenalee sat, her back up to the wall, reading quietly. Next to her stood a small desk lamp, lighting her features in the darkness of the room.

The girl did not look up at him.

"It's twelve A.M., Lavi," she whispered.

The redhead was not surprised that she had sensed his gaze on her.  
What disturbed him was her tone of voice.

It suited the darkness of night.

Eerie, cold.

_Disappointed_.

"Go to sleep. You were supposed to be asleep two hours ago."

Lenalee turned a page, the paper shuffling quietly.

He narrowed his eyes under the blanket, and pulled it up to the bridge of his nose.

"You know I'm usually up till four, Lenalee."

She seemed to glance at her watch.

"It's already a minute past twelve. And you're a sick person. Make an exception."

The old panda would kill him if he found out his apprentice had been sleeping at that time.

Lavi sighed softly into the fabric of his comforter. His annoyance was building up.

"I'm supposed to be at work at this hour. Gramps gave me instructions to read and remember perfectly fifteen books-"

"Bookman-san isn't here."

The redhead grumbled exasperatedly loudly from under the blanket.

'_Tolerance. It _was_ your fault._'

"Okay, then."

Silence ensued for a matter of seconds. The ebony haired girl chose to speak again.

"Please take two aspirins. I was supposed to wake you up to take the aspirins at this time anyway."

He narrowed his eyes.

Lenalee was bloody getting on his nerves, what with that tone of hers. He admitted it was his fault, but this was getting to be too much!

"Whatever."

He sat up, reaching for the aspirins on the table.

Lenalee stood up.

"I'm going to get a drink from the kitchen. Please take your aspirins."

Lavi scowled.

"I bloody heard you, _Mom_. You don't have to bloody repeat yourself every bloody time."

"That's nice, dear. But maybe if you didn't act like such a freaking kid, I wouldn't."

The redhead's jaw dropped.

This was just _impossible_.

How the bloody hell did Lenalee become so sarcastic?

He shut his eyes, trying to think reasonably.

Unless someone surrendered.

Lavi decided.

He would surrender.

"Lenalee, look."

The girl turned around.

"What."

Lavi shot her a look.

His patience was waning.

"I'm sorry, alright? But you're worrying too bloody much. Seriously. All I need is just some sleep and rest. You don't need to make me eat aspirins. You know me. I don't need those to get better."

She faced back to the door.

"No, you don't."

The redhead's visible eye narrowed.

If she understood this, why bother with all this 'take your aspirin' nonsense?

"But."

His attention was drawn back to the girl at the door.

"It's not very often you fall sick. And when you do, it probably means something's really wrong. How can I not be worried?"

And she stepped out the door.

Lavi collapsed back into the soft pillows.

This was too much to think about right now.

And the headache was coming back.

He'd just go to sleep for now.

And deal with the rest in the morning.

* * *

A/N: Oh gawddddd. This was so super hard to write because I'm so freaking tired after my holiday. WHAT THE FACK. One is not supposed to feel TIRED/EXHAUSTED after a holiday. But that horse did give me a hard time riding. GAH! What am I saying!? … Anyway, the next chapter will be out soon. I've got it written some. And the good thing about this holiday: I got some good ideas and some good inspiration for this fic. See you next chapter, sorry for the wait, and please, please, PLEASE leave a review!!!

P.S. I'm going to rename all the chapters. Because if it keeps on going as: Something (no.) Part Something, it's gonna be really longggg. So there.


	10. Violation

Metamorphosis

Chapter 9: Violated.

Disclaimer: I don't own.

* * *

Lenalee sighed, her irritation waning. Maybe she _was_ worrying too much.

She sipped her cup of orange juice, her eyes blankly wandering around the room.

Though it was worrisome that Lavi had fallen sick. He rarely ever even sneezed or coughed or anything, let alone fall so drastically ill with a bad cold, cough, terrible migraines and a high fever.

The ebony haired girl leaned her elbows on the countertop.

Maybe she was exaggerating?

… Nah, couldn't be.

That idiotic redhead probably hadn't even been eating enough at home, where she wasn't around to force-feed him. And he had a huge appetite. To top it off, he loved unhealthy junk food, complimenting his ability to never fall sick or fat – which Lenalee was really actually very jealous of.

Maybe he didn't have any more food supplies? Bookman probably hadn't given him money to eat…

Maybe.

Lenalee stood up, her cup empty on the countertop. She strode over to the refrigerator and pulled the door open.

The sight left her dumbfounded.

It was empty. All that remained were a couple of cans of Coke and Red Bull. There was also a half-empty carton of eggs. Her eyes searched the other compartments.

She chuckled.

The vegetable drawer was full.

Some things never change.

She shut the fridge door, opening the freezer compartment in turn.

Again, nothing. But ice.

Lenalee popped an ice-cube into her mouth, enjoying the cold freezing sensation travelling down her throat. Crunching the frozen water, she went on to inspect the wooden cabinets lining the kitchen walls.

-

The ebony haired girl came to a stop at the top of the stairs.

She wondered if Lavi were asleep. She hoped so.

Lenalee padded to the door of her best friend's room and let herself in.

The lump on the bed, which was Lavi, did not stir.

She leaned over the lump, greeted by the sleeping face of the Bookman apprentice.

So he was asleep.

She glanced to the side.

The aspirins were not on the table. And the glass of water was empty.

She smiled. At least he was following her advice. Sort of.

Kneeling down, the ebony-haired girl ruffled her best-friends layered – but still messy – red locks.

Standing up again, she turned to the desk and grabbed a pen and post-it note, scribbling a quick 'be right back' message on the yellow surface.

-

"Good game, good game!"

Tyki, along with several other regulars glared at him as he scooped up and re-shuffled the deck of cards flawlessly, stone-faced. Allen was the only one who seemed to be enjoying this.

Then again, he _was_ winning all the money they were losing.

"I don't want to play anymore," Tyki whined, banging his head on the table-top.

"Aw, don't be a sore loser, Mikk."

The person in question snapped away from his self-piteous actions.

"I'm not a sore loser!"

He slammed his fist on the table forcefully, attempting to prove his point.

Falling straight into Allen's trap.

"One more game!"

Allen guffawed, slapping Tyki's back playfully.

"Awesome! You're a sport Mikk!"

He flashed a cheeky Black Allen grin.

Tyki instantly regretted agreeing to another game.

"I'm a fool! I'm a fool! I'm a fool! I'm a fool…"

"Can't go back on your word now, Mikk."

The mutterings continued as the white-haired boy turned to the other two 'contenders'.

"What about you guys?"

He grinned once more.

"Care for another game?"

Russell's face was a picture of horror.

"Hell no. My wife will kill me when I get home…"

Allen watched him sympathetically.

"It's alright. I'll definitely return you your money."

He turned to the Australian sitting beside him.

"You?"

"No way in bloody kafreaking hell. You're too good at this. I've lost so much money already…" Reever lamented.

"Are you even old enough to be playing with us old guys and winning like this? It's like daylight robbery!"

The nineteen year-old rolled his eyes.

"Look, I'm playing for fun this time. If I return you guys everything from the previous games, will you play one more round?"

At this, the three older men perked up. They punched the air happily,

"Hell yeah! Allen's the best!"

A shriek echoed outside.

Allen's head snapped up.

"_Come one girly! Won't you play with us? Just a while…_"

Footsteps quickening, stopping abruptly.

"_No! Gawd, you fugly bastards! Get your hands off of me!"_

The white-haired boy's eyes widened.

'_I know that voice!_'

"_Get away from me!"_

Another shriek, taunting laughter, the sounds of a struggle.

Tyki stood up, his eyes narrowed.

"Something's not right out there…"

"_Let go!_"

"Sounds kinda dire out there…" Reever remarked.

"Someone's in trouble."

"Do you figure we should go help?" Russell questioned.

"Tyki."

The three others turned to face Allen.

"You recognize that voice too, don't you?"

Russell and Reever exchanged glances, confused.

The white-haired boy's brows furrowed.

"It's _Lenalee_."

-

She could barely see anything in this darkness. The light was dim, and she could barely avoid the random wooden boxes people had discarded in this valley.

And these kinds of brutes were exactly what she hated. She knew there were about four of them. Too much for her to fight off.

What more; they had already started touching her all over.

Lenalee was getting desperate.

"Stop touching me! Leave me alone!"

She slapped a hand away from her waist, her pace quickening. She had to get away. But she couldn't run; they'd give chase.

"Here girlie…"

Another hand reached for her breasts.

"Play with us…"

Rough skin came into contact with smooth skin on the back of her neck.

Shivers travelled down her spine, the fear creeping into her throat.

Horrified, the ebony haired girl lashed out wildly.

"Get the fuck away!"

Her fingernails scraped against something, her fingers smacking into rough skin.

There was a startled cry in the darkness.

Everything was still.

It was a dangerous silence; something inside her screamed and shrieked in alarm.

"That's it. I'm not playing around with this bitch anymore!"

Out of nowhere, an iron grip grabbed her wrists, and she felt herself being pinned against the wall. The positions of the hands changed, her two wrists pulled up above her head. Another hand stifled a scream as the shadows shifted around in the darkness.

She hated the sticky feeling on sweaty palms on her face.

"Mmphh! Mmpphh--"

A large, calloused hand slapped her across the face. Lenalee was too stunned to react.

A hand came up to the waistband of her jeans, unbuttoning it, and pulling the zip down. It ventured into the jeans, making Lenalee tremble, and felt around.

The ebony haired girl didn't know what was happening anymore, blanking out from the unpleasant sensation. Her thoughts were in a jumble.

"This sexy bitch has got one helluva nice ass down here…"

Another hand, accompanied by pleasured snickers, pulled down her hoodie's zip, before reaching into her shirt.

A cry choked in her throat as invisible hands fondled her breasts.

"Aha!"

She could see dirty yellow teeth glisten in an evil grin. She gritted her teeth, wanting to cry out.

But no sound came.

Her assailant and harasser seemed to turn to his companions, and she could envision the wiggling eyebrows, and eyes brimming with one-sided satisfaction.

"Ooh, the ultimate prize."

The other three laughed.

"Hey, leave something virgin for me, guys. I don't want to get the most boring job," the one holding her seemed to say.

Her eyes fluttered shut. There was no point anymore.

She couldn't fight back, and no one was going to save her.

And she hadn't even finished Lavi's make-over.

For being this weak, she could forgive herself.

But for disappointing him, her best friend, she never would.

What a pathetic way to lose his trust.

And somewhere in the darkness her eyes didn't want to explore, glass shattered and pain exploded in her wrists.

Then there was nothing.

* * *

A/N: I got writing and couldn't stop. Somehow, this is what happened. I'm sorry the ending is like that. I tend to veer off in angsty directions. I think it'll get better though, in the next couple of chapters. I hope it turned out okay. Please, again, leave me a review?

And special thanks to my three favourite people today:

Icetiger 13, who was the first to review, and who talks to me often over PMs! YOU GET A HUGE COOKIE! My awesome friend! :D Update Of All Sweet Love Parodies soon!

Katarina H., who's always so enthusiastic and extremely supportive of everything I write, even if it sucks. Thank you so very muchhh! A large lolly for you! :D

And waterlit, who always leaves a nice comment about my crappy language with every review.

This chapter is dedicated to you~!

Thank you so much!!!

I'll try to get another chapter out soon. (;


	11. One Thing Just Led to Another

Metamorphosis

Chapter 10: One Thing Just Led to Another.

Disclaimer: I don't own.

* * *

"_These fucking bastards deserve to be castrated."_

Voices poured into her mind, her brain slowly processing information.

She couldn't recall what had happened.

The voice continued; "_Her wrists are bleeding. She probably cut them on those broken glass bottles there when I kicked that asshole. Get me some gauze please."_

She felt gentle hands, a warm coat around her shoulders. Someone touched a wet towel to her cheek.

Pressure around her wrists.

Her eyes flew open, pain registering in her head.

_Danger. _

_**Danger!**_

"Let me go!"

Lenalee wrapped her hands around her upper torso and curled up.

She couldn't see; the world was spinning. Nothing was clear. She struggled against the soft, but firm hands. She didn't remember these hands from the rape, but she didn't know them, either. They were alien to her.

…

Rape…

She was dirty now…?

Unclean, violated…

Impure…

"_Is she okay?"_

The concern the voice held was lost; in her fright, Lenalee hallucinated.

Four dark, smirking shadows entered her vision.

"_She's really pale."_

The grins widened and the eyes of her assailants glinted evilly, unrealistically.

She screamed, no sound registering in her mind.

"_**Hey, girlie…"**_

The voice called her name.

She saw lips moving with each syllable of her name.

They couldn't possibly know her name.

She thrashed about.

It's a bad dream.

_It's a bad dream_.

But she couldn't erase it.

She couldn't escape.

She struck out, futilely fighting back.

-

Tyki dodged a hand that lashed out near his face.

The girl looked like she was having a spasm.

"O-Oi! What's happening?!"

"I think she's having some kind of seizure!"

A flying fist almost made contact with the white haired boy's cheek. It missed by a millimetre.

He frowned.

Something wasn't right. It would be better to get everyone out and try to calm Lenalee down.

"Everyone out. Now."

There was a shuffle of feet as the other men exited the room.

Allen turned back to the ebony haired girl, contemplating his next actions.

He needed to calm her down.

"Lenalee. Lenalee, it's okay…" he soothed.

The girl, her eyes wide, continued to thrash about. The white haired boy noticed the cuts on her wrists reopening.

He attempted to stop her distressed movements. But this seemed to aggravate her further. She struggled more against his hold.

The restraining wasn't going to work; it was only making her panic.

He'd have to take the hits she threw at him so wildly. She continued to struggle.

Allen cupped her heart-shaped face.

A kick landed on his side and he winced slightly in pain. For a girl, unconscious too, that was one strong kick.

"Lenalee, it's me, Allen. You need to look at me. Everything's okay. Look at me."

He forced her to stare into his eyes. This earned him a tight slap across his face.

Blood graced his cheek. The white-haired boy knew it wasn't his.

Lenalee's wrists were going to bleed her to death at this rate; there was already blood running down her arms from the cuts.

He recovered from the slap, turning once again to stare into her eyes, trying to calm her down.

"Calm down. Everything's alright. Look at me."

The world seemed to slow for a moment.

"Look at me, Lenalee."

Her blank amethyst eyes refocused. The thrashing ceased.

"Lenalee…?" Allen asked cautiously, his voice soft and soothing.

Her weary eyes blinked.

"Have you calmed down, Lenalee?"

The ebony-haired girl did not reply for a moment.

She searched Allen's face, noting the familiar, handsome features.

Realisation dawned on her. She was lying down, curled up in a ball, and he was leaning over her.

His face was so close.

_Embarrassing._

She moved to sit up. Seeing this, Allen withdrew himself from his current position, sitting in a slightly relieved posture on the chair he had pulled up next to his bed where Lenalee lay.

The ebony haired girl tried to make sense of what was going on. Her head hurt and her wrists stung.

A hand went up to her forehead.

She cringed as pain ran around her wrists.

"Are you okay, Lenalee?"

She watched Allen retrieve a roll of bandages, gauze, disinfectant and antiseptic liquid from a first-aid kit on the bedside table.

"I've already reduced the swelling in your cheek. Do you mind letting me see your wrists? I need to treat them quickly."

The white haired boy offered a hand to take her hands.

Lenalee blankly obeyed. She brought her legs around to the side of the bed to hang off the side, placing her right hand in his.

Slowly, she registered the cuts on her palm and wrist.

"I hope I came in time. They didn't get to do anything to you, did they?"

She looked up, away from the cuts and whatnot, staring at Allen's expression as he concentrated on treating her wounds.

She tried to speak.

"I… don't know…"

Her voice was hoarse. And her throat felt like sandpaper.

_Unclean…_

_Violated…_

_Dirty…_

She began to shake. The tears pooling at the sides of her eyes.

Allen saw her inner turmoil.

He paused, leaning down to kiss the new bandages around her right wrist.

"It's okay, Lenalee… You're safe now."

He looked up into her frightened eyes. Tears had begun streaming down her cheeks already.

"D-Did you save me…?"

He wiped her tears away.

"Yes. Tyki and I. We beat those brutes senseless."

The white haired boy grinned.

Lenalee smiled faintly.

"Thank you…"

Allen returned the smile, his soft expression mixed with worry.

"You're welcome."

He turned to the roll of bandages, gauze, disinfectant and antiseptic liquid again.

"Let me treat this first. I'll get you something warm to drink after that, okay?"

The ebony haired girl nodded.

-

"So… Do you want to tell me what happened…? Do you want to talk about it…? I mean, what were you doing out so late at night?"

She just stared at the mug of hot chocolate in her hands.

The warmth was comforting.

Lenalee sipped a little of the hot liquid, letting the warmth flow into her. Then she turned to the white-haired boy with a small smile.

"I don't mind. But, answer me one thing first…?"

She paused, bowing her head, and Allen waited for some kind of reaction.

She needed to know.

"Were you too late…?"

When she looked up, Lenalee's eyes were glassy and teary.

"Am I _dirty_, Allen…?"

The white haired boy seemed taken aback.

To ask such a question…

He couldn't answer.

The ebony haired girl noticed his internal discomfort, and withdrew her question.

"I'm sorry… I just… wanted to know… Sorry about this, Allen. I'll go home."

Shakily, she set the mug down on the side table and flipped the comforter off her slender legs.

She was trembling again.

Allen gritted his teeth. She was still thinking of others at a time like this.

And he was an idiot. This wasn't how you treated someone who almost or may have already gotten raped!

_Raped_.

Good god.

You needed to give them reassurance. Not unleash their martyr complexes.

"Lenalee! Wait."

The girl continued to edge out of the bed, but seemed to be listening.

Allen's jaw tightened.

"I'm sorry. I don't know…"

Lenalee, who was already halfway out of the bed now, stopped.

"It's not your fault. I asked an impossible question. You wouldn't possibly know, even if you saved me. It was unfair for me to ask you that question."

Again with the martyr complex.

'_Please, think about yourself for a moment._'

Allen looked at her desperately.

"I don't think they managed to do anything to you," he stated firmly.

Sad amethyst eyes met his determined silver pools.

"Do you feel any form of discomfort or anything, if you know what I mean?" he asked.

She shook her head.

"I know what you mean. I don't feel any discomfort. Just. That. Uncomfortable harassed feeling…"

The white haired boy's expression softened.

"Then please," he said softly, "get back into the bed. After all that shock, I think it would be best that you rest a while."

He looked up, put a hand on her shoulder.

Her eyes met his.

"Alright."

Allen's chest tightened. He could sense that she was doing this for _his_ self-assurance.

Slowly, Lenalee sat back down on the bed, her head bowed.

"Okay…"

Allen watched as she played with her fingers aimlessly.

"Today, after I called you, and you told me that Lavi was sick, I went to Lavi's house…"

Things were getting awkward. She didn't seem to want to tell the whole story; she was fidgeting, shifting her weight.

The nineteen year-old couldn't put his finger on it.

"Ah, you don't have to start from the very beginning!"

The fingers stopped moving.

"It's okay."

They continued in their random movements.

"I went to Lavi's house. He wasn't in a very good condition, so I fixed him up. Then after he had woken up…"

The girl's voice shook, her lip trembling. She bit down hard on it, attempting to withhold her mounting melancholy.

"Anyway… I intended to sleep over at his place to take care of him and left the house at around twelve thirty AM to go to _7-11_ to pick up some food for Lavi."

She lifted a hand, gazing at the bandages around her wrist.

"I was walking out of the store when a bunch of fugly bastards came up to me. I tried to leave but… yeah…"

Allen stared at her, bewildered.

"You weren't scared…?"

Lenalee shook her head, her expression still hidden from sight.

"No. I usually go out like that at night. I guess Lavi's neighbourhood just isn't so pleasant."

She narrowed her eyes.

Now calm, her thoughts had cleared.

She should've been able to fight back against those assholes.

She ran a hand through her hair.

"How could I have been so weak?"

She didn't realise she had spoken aloud for a few seconds.

When realisation dawned, a hand went up to cover her mouth.

"Did I just say that out loud?"

Something far more troubling then demanded her attention.

The look on Allen's face was. Unsettling.

His eyes had widened momentarily before his brows had furrowed, and he gritted his teeth.

"It wasn't your fault. You weren't _weak_. Those bastards just overpowered you."

Lenalee smiled sadly.

"That's not true. It's entirely my fault. If I had been more careful, I would have stood a chance. I wouldn't have troubled you. And I'd have gotten back to Lavi, apologized to him properly. And nothing would've troubled anyone. I'm supposed to be taking care of Lavi…"

Allen couldn't stand the look on her face.

She looked around, changing the subject, seeming to realise something.

"Speaking of taking care of Lavi… What time is it? I need to get back-"

Her gaze landed on his face.

She gasped, alarming the white haired boy.

"Is something wrong, Lenalee?"

"Your cheek! There's blood on it, and it's swelling!"

She reached out to touch it.

Allen cringed away slightly.

"Ah! I'm sorry!"

Her expression shaped into one of apprehension.

"Did you get hurt fighting to save me…?"

She caressed his red cheek softly.

The boy half-smiled. He couldn't possibly tell her it was she who had hit him, while thrashing about.

But he couldn't let her go on thinking he'd gotten hurt saving her either.

"My master slapped me at the bar when he was half drunk earlier."

Allen gave a sheepish smile, attempting to lighten the mood.

"I think he thought I was one of his sluts in his drunken stupor."

Lenalee didn't look convinced.

The girl was sharp.

"Anyway, you need to go home, right? I'll escort you back-"

"Thanks Allen," the ebony haired girl said in a small voice, "but I know I was the one who hit you… I'm sorry."

She looked at him forlornly.

"I… need to get back to Lavi. Are my shopping bags here?"

He eyed her desperately. The white haired boy couldn't hold it in any longer.

He pulled her into his arms, her chin resting on his collarbone.

She was so cold.

"Please. It's fine. Stop caring only about the welfare of others and care for yourself for a little while…"

He pulled away, his right hand cupping her chin.

And brought her lips to his.

* * *

A/N: Whew. I can't believe how bad this chapter sucked. _ At least the end was unexpected. right? o.o I'm so sorry to Icetiger13, Katarina H., waterlit, Edge End, xHanako, rmiller92 and Andrew for disappointing you all. Please don't kill me!

And a few people mentioned how the Lenalee attack was awkward. haha. it's probably less awkward than this chapter. -.- but I apologize. it was my fault. it sucks. _

Alright. I hope the next chapter is better.

Review, please?

Please read Of All Sweet Love Parodies, too, if you have time, everyone~!

The second chapter is godawesome~!

Thanks for reading thus far~!


	12. Patient Wolf?

Metamorphosis

Chapter 11: Patient Wolf…?

Disclaimer: I don't own.

A/N: Regarding the previous chapter. It's odd, right? But yeah. Don't mind it. I'm not trying to promote AllenxLenalee or anything. It's just that that incident will help the story prove certain points in the later sequences. (:

-

Lavi stirred.

"Lee…?" he called.

He ran a hand through his hair. Sitting up, the redhead glanced around in the darkness. The futon by the side of his bed was empty, and didn't seem to have been slept in.

Lenalee was no-where in sight.

He switched on the bedside lamp, dimly lighting up the room.

"Lenalee!"

Again, no reply.

Odd.

Lavi scratched his cheek.

'_I wonder where she went…?_'

From the corner of his eye, he spotted a post-it note stuck to the surface of his desk.

Reaching for it, he read, "_Be right back. Gone to _7-11_ to buy food supplies; your fridge and stuff is empty after I made you porridge. Lenalee._"

The redhead raised an eyebrow in quisitively.

This late?

He turned to look at the wall clock.

"Three AM?"

Lavi scratched his cheek.

"And she's still not back yet?"

The redhead threw the comforter off and slung his legs over the side of the bed. He'd settle for a shower first, then.

He cocked his head to the side.

"What time did she write that note anyway?"

-

Lenalee broke away, an astonished look on her face.

Her fingers touched her lips, her eyes distant.

Allen didn't know how to label her response; good or bad.

The ebony haired girl backed away, further onto the bed. She seemed frightened.

The white haired boy didn't know what was going on. What had he been thinking, kissing her like that after such a horrible experience!?

"I-I'm sorry-"

"D-Do you have a shower, A-Allen?"

Lenalee's cheeks were flushed red.

"If-If you wouldn't mind, I'd like to take a shower…"

She stared into her lap, trembling slightly.

Allen looked up at her change in subject.

She felt his gaze on her and her face heated up, feeling an obligation to explain herself.

"I-I feel…"

She shivered, her forehead creasing.

"_Dirty…_"

It gave off the wrong vibe. The white haired boy's expression was a picture of guilt.

She'd hurt his feelings without meaning to.

Lenalee caught on to this as she chanced a glance at him and immediately, her head snapped up, a tumble of words escaping her lips.

"N-No! Not because you k-kissed me! Because those guys t-touched me! I would never feel dirty after kissing you-"

Allen's eyes widened and he flushed red. He looked away, embarrassed.

She took a moment to digest what she had said, and when she finally realised what inner meaning that may have held, the ebony haired girl's face heated up, and she felt dizzy. Things were getting too complicated.

"I-I didn't mean it in that kind of way! Dammit, what am I saying…"

Lenalee smacked her forehead with her palm. She covered her face with her hands in an attempt to calm down.

Allen ran a hand through his silver locks. Everything was getting awkward.

He struggled with his mind.

He had no idea what he'd been doing just then. Kissing her like the world depended on it…

But her lips were so soft. And it was as if she'd kissed him back… It had lasted, so to speak; she hadn't pulled away immediately…

'_She hadn't meant it in that way, so snap out of it!_'

The white-haired boy rubbed the back of his neck slowly, trying to let his disarrayed thoughts reorganize themselves.

Only then did he realise that Lenalee had been waiting for a response.

"Um…Sure, you can go ahead and take a shower. The bathroom is behind that door there," he jerked his chin in the direction of the door on the far right of the room, "and I'll um… lend you a towel. About the clothes though…"

He seemed like he was going to say something else, so Lenalee chanced a questioning look. Their eyes met and they both looked away embarrassedly.

Allen continued to say whatever it was he had wanted to say in spite of the situation.

"Do you want me to… uhm, lend you some?"

The ebony-haired girl's eyes widened and she threw her hands up in protest. Her cheeks were flushed.

The thought of borrowing the clothes of a _guy_ who'd just _kissed_ her in the heat of the moment was… unsettling.

"T-T-Th-That! I- I'll re-use my current clothes!"

Allen smiled at her kindly. He didn't seem to fathom her reasoning.

"It's alright. I think I have some old clothes I could lend you which are, uhm… not so large. Besides, your clothes are soiled."

Lenalee scratched the back of her head simplistically. She couldn't refuse.

-

"I should call her. It's already this late and she's still not back yet. What the bloody hell could she be doing?"

Lavi paced back and forth, his brain fully recovered.

It really hadn't taken much to recover; some proper rest, an aspirin, and the decent cooking of his best friend had been all he needed.

But where was that best-friend now?

The redhead's pace quickened.

What if something had happened to her? What if she'd been kidnapped?

'_Pull yourself together, you idiot. This is Lenalee Lee we're talking about. She can stand up for herself!_'

But right now he wasn't so sure.

His brow furrowed.

She _was _a girl. And it was the middle of the night. Who knew what kinds of thugs may have been out there…

He picked up his phone and dialled her number.

-

Lenalee had just pulled on the large dark-coloured T-shirt Allen had given her to put on. It reached mid-thigh on her small frame, but the sleeves didn't reach beyond three quarters of her upper arm.

It must have been a long shirt, then.

She pulled the bottom of the shirt up to her face, feeling the cotton fabric, breathing in the smell of detergent; a soft, fragrant, Lavender smell.

Like how it had smelt when she woke up in Allen's bed. And when Allen had kissed her-

The seventeen year-old's muscles tensed and her stomach flipped, making her nauseas. Her nerves buzzed and tingled.

Her cheeks flushed crimson. If she kept thinking about that, the warm shower which had calmed her nerves would go to waste.

She shook her head to clear the thoughts. She pulled on the pants; faded grey denims which weren't too baggy. Though the waist was really loose and the pant legs very long, they were comfortable.

At that instant, shocking her out of her wits, there was the sound of Lavi's singing '_Valencia_' originally by '_the Space Between_'.

She jumped, almost slipping on the floor mat. She scrambled up to regain her balance.

That ringtone only sounded when it was a certain redhead calling. Which meant he was awake already.

She flipped open the phone.

"Hello?"

"_Lenalee, is that you?_"

-

The nineteen year-old heard Lenalee speaking in the bathroom.

Earlier, a loud singing voice had come from the inner dwellings – so-called – of the place too.

Someone had probably called her.

Allen shrugged.

Lavi, probably.

-

The redhead let out a sigh of relief, collapsing into the couch.

"Thank god. Where the bloody hell are you?"

He imagined Lenalee frowning at him on the other end of the line.

"_I'm at Allen's._"

Lavi's eyes narrowed in confusion. He sat up.

"What are you doing _there_?"

"_I met him at 7-11. His place was nearby so he invited me over for some tea-_"

His jaw dropped.

"And you _agreed_?!He hasn't done anything to you has he?! If he has, I'm gonna bloody castrate him!"

Lenalee sighed on the other end.

"_No, you idiot. He's a gentleman. Why do you think I wanted him to teach you some manners? And I'm seventeen, I can agree or disagree as I like._"

Lavi was insistent, stubborn, and pressed on his argument.

He hammered his fist on the seat of the couch.

"But he's a _guy_! You're alone with a _guy_ in his apartment! _Alone_!_ A-L-O-N-E_!!! What if something '_weird_' happens?! I'm not going to help you if you get bloody pregnant!"

At this, there was a gasp from the ebony-haired girl.

"_L-Lavi!_"

The redhead paused for a moment before answering.

"Okay, so I would, but that's not the point! It's dangerous, you hear," he put the mouthpiece of his cell phone closer to his mouth, yelling into it to stress his point, "bloody _dangerous!_"

"_I wasn't gasping about that you idiot!_" Lenalee snapped immediately.

Lavi blinked. He slouched.

"_I just can't believe you'd think I'm so stupid! And for god's sake, Allen's our friend! I trust him. Don't you?!_"

She had a point there.

He paused, contemplating this.

"…I do, but this is different! It might have been a façade! There's this kind of person called a 'patient wolf', you know! And they tend to _be_ gentlemen!"

At this Lenalee seemed confused; "What_ are you talking about? What 'patient wolf'?!_"

Lavi didn't feel like explaining. He rubbed his temples.

"That's not important! My point is that he could try and seduce you!"

"_What?! Of course not! I'm already leaving. He's going to escort me back to your house! And nothing's happened!_"

The redhead grunted.

"_I'm also expecting an explanation regarding what this 'Patient Wolf' thing is when I get back!_"

There was a pause.  
He waited for her to say something.

"_And with this in thought, just to prove you wrong about the- the- seduction, whatever thing (!), I'm going to come back only in an hour's time!_"

Lavi's jaw dropped.

She was doing this just to spite him!

"You-"

There was a beep before the sound of a disconnected line echoed in his ear.

"Goddammit, Lee!"

* * *

A/N: Regarding the previous chapter. It's odd, right? But yeah. Don't mind it. I'm not trying to promote AllenxLenalee or anything. It's just that that incident will help the story prove certain points in the later sequences. (: Also, _Valencia _by _the Space Between_ doesn't belong to me. The _Patient Wolf _idea doesn't belong to me either. It belongs to _Fantasy Magician._ If you read the story/fic "Gentleman is Patient Wolf" you'll understand the concept behind what Lavi says. xD

And don't get mad just yet. I have a few chapters almost done. If I'm fast enough (and neglect my homework long enough) they could be out in a few hour's time! :D

To Fest, Icetiger13, Katarina H., rmiller92, xHanako, waterlit, poochie2poochie33, Moody 1656: Thank you for all the encouragement and inspiration I received from your reviews~! Thankyouthankyouthankyou!!!

To the silent readers who do not speak a word, it's gratifying to know that you read this in the first place. :)

And to whatthehellwasitthinking, who's just started reviewing, thank you for painstakingly reading and reviewing all the chapters!


	13. Revelation of Some Sort

Metamorphosis

Chapter 12: Revelation of Some Sort.

Disclaimer: I don't own.

* * *

"I'll take those back now, Allen. And thank you for everything, especially your hospitality and for saving me."

She bowed deeply to him.

"A-Ah… You don't need to bow, Lenalee…"

The ebony-haired girl straightened up and tried a smile.

She reached out to take the shopping bags.

Their fingers brushed and Lenalee jerked her hand away. Nothing fell; the shopping bags – as well as one paper bag supplied by Allen to hold her soiled clothing – were, thankfully, already hooked on her finger.

The white-haired nineteen year-old had jerked his hand away too.

They stood there a while, shuffling their feet, and shifting their weight from foot to foot.

This was awkward.

Though not as bad as earlier.

"Um… Thanks for escorting me back, Allen…"

She turned to face Lavi's door.

Maybe it was only awkward to her, though.

She shook her head to clear the thoughts away, and fished out her key ring to open the door.

She managed to unlock it easily.

She stepped inside and set the bags down. She slipped the warm jacket Allen had lent her off, handing it to said scarred boy.

The white-haired boy cocked his head to the side, puzzled.

"Wha…?"

"I'll go inside and change, then give you back your clothing. I'd rather you not, but do you mind waiting outside? Lavi's awake and-"

He laughed, raising a hand to stop her train of words.

"That's alright. You can keep the clothes for now. You can return them to me anytime."

He raised a questioning eyebrow.

"Is the gentleman training still on?"

Lenalee nodded.

Allen smiled.

"Great. And you don't have to explain. I think I understand the situation."

He chuckled softly.

"I sort of overheard your conversation in the bathroom earlier."

Lenalee's jaw dropped.

"R-Really?!"

Her face flushed rosebud pink. She stared intently at her sneakers, so desperately trying to cool the heat she felt on her face.

Embarrassing.

Allen rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to. It was just kind of loud, and funny, so I couldn't help but eavesdrop."

Lenalee bowed her head sheepishly.

"No, no! I'm sorry! You heard Lavi say all those things!"

She shut her eyes tight.

The nineteen year-old laughed.

"That's alright. I didn't quite hear what Lavi said; I only heard what your replies were."

He looked at the doorway of the house.

"Speaking of which, didn't you tell him that you'd be returning an hour later? How come we left as soon as you got out of the shower?"

Lenalee rubbed the back of her neck.

"Well, the moment I got out of the shower, in spite of my protests, you insisted on escorting me back, so…"

The ebony haired girl looked sheepish.

"Lavi would kill you if he saw you here. He thinks that you…"

She realised what she was about to say and stopped herself just before anything stupid came out of her mouth.

Allen looked at her questioningly.

"Uh… Never mind."

The white haired boy blinked. Then he shrugged.

"Anyway, thanks for escorting me back, Allen."

The person in question smiled warmly at her.

"You're welcome. It's my pleasure."

Lenalee smiled back, and the awkward moment where they'd kissed was almost forgotten.

"Either way, I'll go in and change first."

Allen shook his head, an amused smile playing on his lips.

The ebony haired girl looked at him inquisitively.

"No, thanks. It's quite alright. You can just return me the clothes when we meet for the gentleman training."

He glanced at his watch.

"At least this gave me ample time to get away."

Lenalee cast him a questioning look.

"Considering what I heard from your replies to Lavi, he must be really mad at me for something."

He smiled at Lenalee, who just looked at him blankly.

"Ah…" she said.

The white-haired nineteen year-old turned to leave.

"I'll be going then. I'll call later so we can discuss the time and date."

With that, Allen left, his hand waving at her over his shoulder.

The ebony haired girl blinked and shrugged. Entering the apartment, she sighed.

At least the awkwardness had faded.

-

Lavi had been cussing and swearing as he paced in his room. Then, for a few minutes, of which he'd been painfully tired from the pacing, he sat down on the bed and fiddled with his fingers.

And for a good three hours after, he'd fallen asleep.

He got up sore from his position on the bed, and yelled out when he realised it was already light outside.

He brushed his teeth furiously, thinking that if his best friend had indeed returned, she would have called on him.

That meant something had happened.

He grabbed his phone, dialling her cell phone number hurriedly.

And when he went downstairs, about four hours after Lenalee had called, his head buzzing with impatience and irritation, he got the shock of his life.

It just wasn't turning out to be a good day for the seventeen year-old redhead.

There, on the couch, reading a book he recognized to have come from a nearby bookshelf, sipping a cup of hot chocolate, sat Lenalee, dressed in one of his old pyjamas, the sleeves a bit longer than the girl's skinny arms, with her hair long black hair down. And he had no idea where the PJs had come from.

His eyes widened and he gawked.

The ebony haired girl, he knew, had noticed him, but did not turn.

"Lee?!" he yelled, an accusing finger pointed at her.

"Yes?" she replied, turning with a sickeningly sweet smile plastered across her face.

Lavi's finger did not sway from its position and wiggled in the air as he continued to bombard her with questions and accusations.

"When the hell did you get in?! How long have you been here!? Did you do this to spite me?!"

Lenalee had set down the book in her lap and covered her ears with her two hands, her eyes closed.

"You're being so noisy, Lavi. It's still early; you'll wake the neighbours."

She looked at Lavi with narrowed eyes, then, when she was sure he wasn't about to say anything more, lowered her hands and picked up her book again.

"Firstly; I have your keys, you idiot. Secondly; I've been here about forty-five minutes."

The redhead gawked at her disbelievingly.

"And you didn't tell me-"

"Lastly," she continued, raising her voice, "No, I didn't do this to spite you. I just figured you were sleeping or something."

He sensed the lie in her voice. Or so he thought.

His jaw tightened.

"Ne mentez pas à moi, Lee. (Don't lie to me, Lee.)"

Lenalee looked up the moment the words escaped his mouth. She turned around slowly.

Her eyes narrowed.

"_Ne me jugez pas et ne surpassez pas en français, Lavi._ _Je parle français comme vous faites._ (Don't try and outdo me in French, Lavi. I speak French as well as you do.)"

The redhead sighed.

"Fine."

He dropped the accusatory tone and shuffled over to sit next to Lenalee on the couch.

Her legs were spread out to the side, her back against the arm rest. Lavi had to settle for a seat at the end of her slender legs.

He played with her toes.

"So, care to explain?"

He didn't look up as he spoke.

There was the sound of her thin fingers flipping a page of the book.

"There's nothing to explain."

Lave stroked the padding of her feet and her toes wiggled.

"Okay, then. What did you go out for?"

She was quick to answer, and curt.

"I went to buy some groceries. Didn't I mention that in my note?"

"Yes, but you also said 'Be right back'. You were gone for ages."

"Yeah? And how do you know that?"

"I have a hunch."

"Huh."

Lenalee snapped her book shut.

"Well, I'm not going to lie. Your hunch is right. I did go out for quite some time."

Lavi sighed.

"Allen didn't do anything to you, then?"

The ebony haired girl looked at him lamely, an eyebrow raised.

"You're still thinking he did? How many times must I tell you he didn't?"

The redheaded seventeen year-old looked at her pleadingly.

"I know, but."

He ran a hand through his hair.

"I'm just worried, Lenalee."

Guilt softened the girl's features at Lavi's troubled expression. Earlier, she'd been worried about him too, probably in the same annoying, pestering, and persistent way he was at the moment, and now, she wasn't being fair.

"I know. I'm sorry."

A crooked half-smile graced his lips, and he continued fingering her toes.

"Allen didn't do anything, really. We just had some hot beverages, and chit chatted. Nothing happened. Then he escorted me back here, considering the time."

And in their unspoken, mutually understood best friend way, they forgave each other.

The hostilities were thrown out the window.

"Alright then. I believe you."

Lavi straightened out his features, lifting his head.

He smiled at her, and she smiled warmly back.

"Shall I cook breakfast?" he suggested.

"Sure. I'll help."

"What did you buy?"

"Milk, cereal, instant sandwiches, instant noodles…"

She continued to list the other couple of items she had purchased, her mind wandering off to more serious grounds.

They'd never really kept secrets from each other, but to ensure Allen's life was intact, she'd have to keep this hidden for now.

'_I won't tell him about my kissing Allen. Yet._'

And as if on cue, her cell phone buzzed, Allen's name appearing on the screen.

* * *

A/N: Whew. Okayyy. I tried to get this out fast. I hope it turned out okay, even though it's really really lagging on the storyline. I think it'll progress in two chapters or so. :X Bear with me. Thanks to Icetiger13, waterlit, and whatthehellwasithinkin(sorry about the previous misspelling. :X) who reviewed the previous chapter! I'm almost done with the next chapter. ^_^

Please, Please, PLEASE, Review!! I beg you!


	14. Cat's Out of the Bag

Metamorphosis

Chapter 13: Cat's Out of the Bag.

Disclaimer: I don't own.

A/N: I just realised I labelled the song two chapters previous wrong. It's supposed to be The Space Between by Valencia, not the other way around.

* * *

Lenalee had never thought much about love. She had always believed it would come to her naturally.

And here it was.

_Flashback;_

_She turned around and back tracked to the coffee table, where her cell phone lay vibrating, spewing out Fall Out Boy's 'Sugar We're Going Down'._

_She grabbed the phone and clicked the 'silent' button. Vibrating in her palm, the screen of the phone displayed a name; _ALLEN_. _

_She probably had to answer. He was probably calling to arrange the gentleman training date._

"_Lavi," she called, "I have to take this phone call."_

_In a few strides, the redhead in question had already made it to the kitchen with the 7-11 shopping bags._

"_Okay. Then, I'll get started on the eggs and soup first," he called back._

"_Thanks!"_

_She clicked the green 'answer call' button and held the phone to her ear._

"_Hello?"_

"Lenalee?_"_

"_Yep, it's me."_

"Is this a bad time?"

_Lenalee shook her head, even though the white haired boy couldn't see her, and took a seat on the couch._

"_Not at all."_

"Ah, okay. Then, about the gentleman training meet up?_"_

_She blinked._

"_Uh-huh?"_

"What do you say… we meet up about… three days from now?"

_The ebony haired girl considered this. It was probably enough time for Lavi to get better._

_So it was suitable, right?_

"_Ohkay. Sure."_

"Also, I think we'll need at least two days to properly verse Lavi in the art of being a gentleman."

_Lenalee laughed._

"_Whatever you say."_

_Allen chuckled on the other end of the line._

"So, where will we have this? If you can't think of anything, we could always come have it at my place, since no-one lives here with me."

_The ebony haired girl scratched her cheek contemplatively._

_Now that she thought about it, neither Lavi's nor her house had the proper tools to teach one how to become a gentleman._

"_Really? Then… if you wouldn't mind… since my and Lavi's houses don't have the proper tools necessary…"_

_The white-haired boy chuckled._

"Nope. Not at all."

_Lenalee smiled._

"_Thanks, Allen."_

_There was a pause._

"I… I also have something more to say, Lenalee…_" he continued slowly._

_This jolted Lenalee's curiosity._

"_Hm? What is it?"_

_She cradled the phone with two hands, listening carefully as Allen whispered._

"I… I like you."

_Her eyes widened and she almost dropped the phone._

"_W-What…? You can't mean that…" she stammered._

_She let out a nervous laugh._

_However, when he spoke again, Allen's voice was firm and clear, full of honesty and determination._

"I do. I like you, Lenalee."

_He paused, and the ebony-haired girl imagined him biting his lip on the other end of the line._

"Will you… go out with me?"

_Lenalee gasped. She almost dropped her cell phone._

_A zillion thoughts ran rampant in her mind, contemplation and meaning behind each and every one._

"_I…I…"_

_Her mind had frozen._

"Um! I don't mind your relationship with Lavi as best friends because I know it really is on a best-friends basis and nothing more."

_He let out a little laugh._

"Otherwise, you guys would have hooked up by now, right?"

_His attempt at humour had not done anything to help her disarrayed thoughts._

_At her silence, Allen began again, a little discouraged._

"Y-You don't have to give me an answer now… Uhm. And if you don't think it'll work out between us, then… we can still be friends, right?"

_The ebony haired girl was dumbfounded._

_What could she possibly say?_

_Again, at her lack of response, the nineteen year-old on the other line seemed to stiffen and withdraw a little._

"Then… I'll be expecting a reply from you at a later time… Goodbye, Lenalee."

"_W-Wait!"_

"…?_"_

_Lenalee had no idea why she had just done that._

_She shut her eyes tight, her mind made up._

_Flashback End-_

She'd accepted.

And when it had sunk in, her euphoria was somewhat indescribable.

…

It was reasonable, right?

Lenalee tapped her chin with a finger.

She felt at ease around him, she knew; even though things had been awkward, somehow, it had just disappeared, and it felt normal.

What's more, he was nice; he'd treated her wounds, and protected her.  
He'd even stopped himself from doing anything else to her after that kiss too.  
He was kind, thoughtful.  
Selfless, handsome, charming, a gentleman-

Wait.

Handsome…?

Lenalee reddened.

Charming…?

Thoughts and images ran wild in her head.  
Being a gentleman made him charming by default, right? (Or in her books anyway.)

Or was that entirely true?

She observed him in her mind, whatever scraps of memories of their meetings replaying in her head.

Was it in the way he walked; confident, charismatic, approachable?  
Or maybe the way he smiled and reassured her; gentle, kind, patient?  
Maybe it was because he'd saved her? That of course, meant he was strong.

He didn't look that way, though.

Her subconscious mind had probably figured out by itself how Allen probably had lean, strong muscles hidden somewhere underneath the folds of his shirt. It also knew her infatuation with slender-muscled guys.

And he was, in all his scarred glory, handsome…

The ebony-haired girl felt lightheaded.

This was too much to be thinking about. How had proving his thoughts of him as charming and handsome become random musings of his body features?!

This was getting too confusing for her muddled head to figure out.

Was this…

Love…?

A warm hand touched her forehead.

Lenalee jerked out of her daydream.

"Oi, Lee. You're as red as my hair. And that's saying something. You didn't catch my fever did you?"

He brought his mouth nearer to her cheek, his breath gentle and warm on her ear.

"Or are you thinking… ecchi…?"

Now, Lenalee was a rational person, and had taken jokes like this from Lavi before.

Right now, though, she was too caught up in fantasies to brace herself against such provocative jokes.

She flew backwards out of her chair, her hands on her ear, eyes wild.

The redhead raised an eyebrow.

"Lee? You weren't _actually_ thinking ecchi were you?"

"D-D-Don't do that! Of- Of course not! I'm- I'm…" she stammered.

Lavi cocked his head to the side, and rose out of his seat, approaching her.

"Lenalee, are you okay?"

Lenalee shut her eyes. Hopefully Lavi wouldn't laugh.  
Besides, she'd told him things about her love life before.

Heat rushed to her face.

"A-Allen…"

The redhead resumed his questioning look.

"What about him?"

His eye widened.

"Don't tell me he… really _did_ violate you?!"

The ebony-haired girl's jaw dropped.

Her best friend, unfortunately, took this as a sign that he'd hit the nail on the head.

"HE DID?!"

He spun around, seeming to look for something. He stomped to the kitchen countertop, grabbing a chopper Lenalee didn't remember having left lying around so dangerously.

"Wait right here, Lee! I'm going to go bloody castrate him!"

This snapped the ebony haired girl out her stupor.

"What?! No! Don't! He didn't, he didn't!"

The redhead was too agitated and fuming to notice.  
He stormed to the door.

Lenalee staggered behind him, just managing to grab Lavi's upper torso as his right foot passed through the doorway.

"Let go! Don't have mercy on him! I'm gonna bloody castrate him!!"

There was a startled cry from outside.

Whoever the poor soul was, they were probably getting the shock of their life.

And making the most embarrassing misconception - for Lenalee.

"He didn't do anything to me!!! Listen to me, Baka Lavi!!!"

She forcefully dragged him back into the house and hastily shut the door.

-

Lenalee huffed.

"What I was going to say before you so unceremoniously jumped to conclusions was that…"

Lenalee reddened, clearing her throat.

"I'm Allen's g-gir…"

Just barely calmed down, Lavi raised an eyebrow suspiciously.

The ebony haired girl gulped.

"I'm Allen's girlfriend!!!"

-

The white haired boy exhaled deeply, still clutching his cell phone tightly in hand.

He couldn't believe it. He really hadn't expected things to turn out this way.

When he'd called Lenalee, he had no idea what had been going through his mind.

And now, he had no idea what had been going through Lenalee's mind either.

He ran a hand through his hair restlessly.

He'd been so… impulsive, the past couple of hours.

First he'd taken her to his place after saving her from being raped.  
Then he'd asked her weird questions.  
And made her cry.  
And then. _Kissed_ her.

He shut his eyes tight, trying to stifle the embarrassing reality's impact on his brain.

And then after that, he'd insisted on escorting her back, awkward though things had been, and had probably made her very uncomfortable then.

Now, just a while ago, he'd _called _her, and _confessed_ to her out of the blue.

Allen's hand went up to cover his mouth as his brow furrowed, his neck flushing red.

And her answer was so unexpected, it had left him shell-shocked.  
But, he had been so _happy_.

However, now that he thought about things, he had cause for worry.

How was Lavi going to react?

-

Her expression was a picture of joy. Eyes wide, alert, glistening, glittering. Cheeks rosy red with the heat of first love.

Lenalee had told him about her love life in the past, but this had been unexpected. Even if it _was_ Lenalee, he hadn't been expecting her to tell him of her first ever boyfriend.

Sure, she'd had admirers in the past, but they'd all been turned down for teasing him, not accepting him. That, or she had simply held no fancy for them.

So, it was either Lenalee was getting desperate for a boyfriend, and wanted to accept any request from anyone who didn't tease him, or she really held a fancy for the white-haired nineteen year-old.

A thought clicked in his mind.

Had Lenalee wanted to makeover him because she wanted a boyfriend, or had it been genuinely to help him?

Inwardly, Lavi shook his head. A smile formed on his face.

'_She wouldn't. She's my best friend and doesn't really have an interest in such things._'

He believed the makeover she'd put together had really been to help him.

As for the spark or the 'not-taunting-him-and-accepting-him' thing, he wasn't sure.

"I'm happy for ya, Lee!"

He grinned her favourite grin.

"That's great!"

He moved closer to her, slinging an arm around her shoulders.

"Great job landing a man!"

She assumed a dreamy state again.

"He's so nice! He _totally_ understands our best-friends relationship, and doesn't mind! He…"

So it was a true emotion after all.  
His best friend had finally gotten herself a boyfriend.

And he would work to have someone to love too.

He would work hard.

"…and he was so gentle after the near-rape happened!"

Lavi was snapped out of his thoughts by these words.

His gritted his teeth, shock, anger and terror evident in his eye.

"_What_ did you say?"

He turned his head slightly, his one visible eye piercing into the ebony haired girl.

Lenalee's eyes widened. Her hand shot up to her mouth.

She took a step back.

What had she done?

* * *

A/N: Whew. Done. I don't own "Sugar We're Going Down". It belongs to Fall Out Boy. :3 Again, I stress that I am not implying AllenxLenalee romance. It's just another convenient item to point out certain things later in the fic. :)

To waterlit; He's suspicious because he's overprotective. xD And not now. In the end. :3

To Moody1656; xD I'm happy you liked it. :3 And I agree; it _is_ cute, how he plays with her toes. x3 Kawaiii. xD

Thanks for reviewing, guys~!

Same to Icetiger13 and silverlilly92, whose reviews I already replied to. :3

Again, I ask you to generously review~! They inspire and make me happy~ Thanks for reading thus far~


	15. Caricatures of Intimacy

Metamorphosis

Chapter 14: Caricatures of Intimacy

Disclaimer: I do not own.

* * *

He looked really, _really _dangerous.

His neck was flushed with anger, his one visible green iris overflowing with hatred.

To say this was an overreaction would be an understatement. A huge one, not to mention.

Lenalee had never seen him this angry.

Then again, her heinous way of phrasing had probably made him snap.

In all her euphoria, she had come up with some kind of greatly horrendous rape-implying way of phrasing.

And after she'd tried to forget, for Lavi's sake, so that he didn't find out, everything had been in vain and only made worse; her turn of phrase had only made him think her saviour was the one who raped her – or almost raped, in this case.

Great. Just great.

Way to go, Lenalee.

"_Explain._"

His voice had gone extremely quiet, low and dangerous. His body was still. By his sides, his arms had gone rigid, fists clenched tightly, his elegantly muscular frame tense.

He really was that angry.

When she gave no answer his eyes flashed with irritation.

He padded towards her, silent, dangerous.

She took a step backwards.

He continued to stride towards her, his expression dark, eyes hidden from sight by crimson red bangs which lined his forehead and hid his eyes.

She backed up against a wall, her head just missing a photo frame as she cringed away from him.

He stopped in front of her, quiet, his teeth clenched.

She had only seen this dodgy side of Lavi once when-

He slammed his palm into the glass photo frame behind her.

Lenalee winced at the sound, but no glass shards made their way to her.

Lavi's eyes were wild.

"Tell me what happened, Lenalee. Or so help me I'll…"

The ebony haired girl knew perfectly well what Lavi was capable of doing.

She needed to stay calm and explain things properly.

"Lavi, you need to calm down."

He hunched forwards, his head bowed.

Lenalee did not see his pained expression.

Another clenched fist came up to hit the wall behind her as Lavi's head came to rest on her shoulder.

His red locks tickled her shoulder slightly, and she could smell the fragrance of passion flower in his hair.

"How can I calm down? You've been… _violated._"

Every word was filled with animosity and anger, a blow to the wall's plaster following after each one. The redhead practically spat the last word, the hardest punch echoing its last syllable.

Lenalee put a hand on his head, closing her eyes. She needed to focus on calming him down. She stroked his head as he trembled against her, trying to soothe him.

It was odd, his reaction. Maybe he had a best-friend complex.

The ebony haired girl could not comprehend the tranquillity of her thoughts and the stable state of her mind.

She leaned her cheek against his soft red locks, her hand still on his head.

"No one violated me."

He didn't move; she could still feel his closed eyelids against his skin and his eyelashes tickling her neck slightly.

Probably didn't believe her and thought she was protecting Allen, or something along that train of thought.

"I went to _7-Eleven_ to buy some food because your fridge was empty."

She continued stroking his head gently, reassuringly.

"On the way back, a bunch of guys – delinquents by the looks of them – cornered me and started touching me against my will."

Lenalee smiled sadly at the thought.

She felt Lavi's teeth clench.

"Fucking bastards," he muttered, probably not meaning to interrupt her, wanting her to continue.

And so she did.

"Then, I think because I caused a big enough commotion, Allen and Tyki came. I think they were hanging out nearby or something. I was close to being raped by then and…"

The fear and panic from the incident rose in her chest, her heart thumping loudly and wildly, painfully against her ribcage.

She struggled to keep her composure intact so that Lavi, his self-control fragile, wouldn't make any too-quick judgements and end up responding negatively to her rapid heartbeat.

She heard the sound of glass being crushed and shattered once more.

Ah. He'd heard it. Or maybe felt it.

Stupid heart. Always giving away what she felt.

At least he hadn't done something worse.

…Lenalee figured he would do something stupid in that instant, considering she'd probably jinxed the whole thing with her previous thoughts.

He didn't, though, continuing to remain still in the hunched, defeated pose he was in at the moment.

Her thoughts drifted to his hands.

"Lavi… Your palm and knuckles… they're bleeding, aren't they."

It wasn't a question. She knew full well that they were.

"It's fine. Just continue," he murmured into her shoulder, his lips brushing her collarbone.

This wasn't an unusual feeling. She'd experienced it before.

She did not falter.

"But-"

"Just continue."

His whisper was firm, controlled, and she could sense his rage.

She closed her eyes again, her hand coming once again to stop at the top of his head.

She sighed, the inhaled and exhaled deeply.

"Allen… well, saved me. He took me back to his house."

Lavi went on listening to her every word, still against her.

His hunched up back-curled position looked pretty painful right then.

"Doesn't your back hurt?"

He did not interrupt her.

"No. Just go on."

"But you're hurt and bleeding. And you're hunched up in this painful-looking position…"

His jaw tightened.

"Goddammit, Lenalee. Why can't you just continue?"

Her eyes narrowed, and she clutched his head closer to her.

Lenalee's eyes fluttered shut, brows still furrowed.

"Because you're hurt. Won't you let me treat you and tell you the whole story at the same time?"

She left out the fact that she didn't want to tell him about the kissing.

Her other hand wrapped around his torso, and she clutched his shirt tightly in her small fists.

"…Just finish it, Lenalee."

Lavi lifted his head slightly, leaning his cheek against hers, his breath hot on her ear and neck.

"_Please_."

The whisper was toneless, desperate.

Lenalee could hear the hurt in his voice.

She sighed softly.

She wouldn't mention the kissing, but…

"Okay…"

Lavi's forehead came to rest on Lenalee's shoulder again.

"…After Allen took me back to his house, he let me take a shower and yeah… After that, he just escorted me home…"

There was a pause and silence crowded between them.

Out of the blue, Lavi chuckled. Lenalee could feel his smile on her shoulder.

He shifted his head such that his cheek came to rest on her shoulder.

"See…? That wasn't much to say, nor was it very hard to articulate, don't you think…?"

His beaten tone of voice worried her, tugging at her heartstrings further. She hadn't wanted to leave out the kissing part of the story, but hadn't wanted to tell it to him either.

In conclusion, yes it was hard; she'd lied to him.

'_Later_,' she promised, squeezing her eyes shut tighter, '_I'll tell him later, when things have calmed down_.'

Then the redhead lifted his head up, red locks still hiding his expression, the ebony haired girl's hands sliding off his back lightly. He moved away from Lenalee, shoving his battered hands in his pockets.

The ebony haired girl watched in silent confusion, her eyes wondrous.

He backed up a bit and sat down slowly, crossing his legs on the floor in a defeated hunch. He burrowed his bloodied right hand in his hair and she lost the distinction between the blood on his fingers and locks of hair. His uninjured left hand curled into a fist, coming to rest in his lap.

So defenceless.

It made Lenalee insecure to see him that way.

She lowered herself to his level, settling down on the floor in front of him, forgetting the glass that littered the floor.

She missed them by a little, so it didn't matter, anyway.

She crossed her legs under her and inched forward so that her knees were touching his.

They'd done this when they were kids whenever Lavi got upset. She would sit across from him, and lean her head towards his such that they came to touch forehead to forehead. Then she would soothe him, and he'd tell her everything. Hours would pass.

They'd be in their own small world, with no one else around to disturb them.

"I…"

The redhead's half-distressed-half-amused voice dragged her back to reality from her thoughts. She blinked.

"Hm…?"

She tried to sound mildly curious, vaguely hinting at him to continue.

"You've always been there to take my side and protect me. And finally something you're so bloody immune to – something like _this_ happens, and I'm not bloody around to be there for you. Goddamn bloody pathetic."

His jaw tightened and he spoke through gritted teeth, his voice husky.

The redhead looked just about ready to tear his hair out.

Lenalee opened her mouth to point this out, just about to speak, when Lavi began again.

"Someone as much of a bloody stranger as Allen can do it, but I can't. I've been your bloody best friend since hell knows the bloody fuck when, and I can't protect you or even be there to give you the moral support you need at least."

The hand resting at his elbow clutched the end of his right forearm tightly, his nails digging into the skin.

The ebony haired girl was sure there'd be red marks there later.

"Lavi, please," she began softly.

She tugged on his hands, urging them to relax. They came away from their positions easily as Lavi let her take them into hers, and she picked the glass away from his right hand gently, scrutinizing the gashes.

Blood continued dribbling slowly from the open wounds.

She could feel his pain just by looking at the angry red ribbons.

They looked deep enough to leave scars.

"Your hands…"

She held them tenderly to her cheek.

They would need stitches.

Slowly, she brushed her lips over his pale skin and lowered his hands to her lap, gingerly caressing them in her own hands, and leaned her head forwards to touch his.

"Let me treat them."

Lavi shook his head.

"…Why."

Lenalee knew her best friend wasn't questioning why she wanted to treat his hands. They clenched in her grasp, sticky red liquid sliding between her fingers.

"…Why can't I protect you?"

Something wet dripped onto the fabric of her pyjama pants. It was so soft, so unnoticeable, it almost passed unobserved.

Almost.

* * *

A/N: Don't ask me what's going on in my head. I don't know.

ANYWAY, there's no excuse for updating late, but I feel like I need to explain myself. I had camp the whole of this past week, school started two weeks ago, hence flooding me with work, there are tests this upcoming week, and I've joined the school's string ensemble and, being a noob, need to practice a lot.

Sorry about the hiatus.

I hope there was enough angsty LaviLena here to satisfy you, and credits to Icetiger13 for keeping me company while I wrote this. Honestly latelatelate. Sorry. And super bad length and quality. I'll try to update again soon. See you!


	16. A Friend In Need Is A Friend Indeed

Metamorphosis

Chapter 15: A Friend In Need Is A Friend Indeed

Disclaimer: I don't own.

* * *

Lenalee waved her hand.

"Taxi!"

A yellow vehicle, it's signal lights blinking, came to a stop before them.

"Subway."

She spun around to look at the redhead whom had spoken with a raised eyebrow.

"Lavi, we are not taking the subway."

The redhead sent her a goofy grin.

"Subway."

"No. Get in the taxi."

"Subway."

She had seen it coming.

"Taxi."

It was sterner this time, her command.

"Subway."

He still had that amused smile on his face.

Lenalee was starting to get impatient.

"_Taxi_," she commanded.

"Sub-way."

He might actually be enjoying this, now that she thought about it.

She put her hands on her hips and narrowed her eyes at him.

"Lavi, stop it. You are _not_ convincing me to take the subway. Your stupid hand has bled through what, seven rounds of fresh bandages? Will you knock it off and just _get into the taxi_ before I do something unbecoming?"

He swayed and laughed.

She face palmed. Maybe he had lost too much blood already.

She looked back at the taxi driver apologetically. The pole-thin blonde man smiled.

Lenalee bit her lip. She wasn't up to handling Lavi like this. And the more time they wasted here, the more likely they would get stuck in the peak hour traffic jams.

She looked back at Lavi's amused expression. It was her fault in the first place that she'd given him painkillers even though he'd kept quiet about the pain. That was probably why he was acting like such a lunatic.

Maybe it really hadn't been painful enough such that he needed painkillers, and now the drug overdose was making him loony.

Lenalee sighed, leaning over to see into the taxi as the driver rolled the window down.

She handed the skinny man in the taxi a five dollar bill.

"Sorry for wasting your time, sir. I hope this accounts for it?"

He nodded.

"S'fine."

Lenalee smiled as the blonde rolled the window up and drove off.

"Alright. The subway then. But we're going to have to walk quite a ways away."

She turned to Lavi.

To her horror, the redhead was swaying pale.

Lenalee facepalmed.

-

"I'm so sorry for this imposition…"

She stroked the head of red hair resting quietly in her lap, as chuckles resounded from the front of the car.

"It's no problem. I'm quite suspecting… this is somehow my fault?"

Lenalee's head shot up. She caught Allen's eye in the rear view mirror for a split second.

And the truth spilled from her eyes.

"I knew it."

Allen sighed and leaned back into the driver's seat.

"You read me like an open book."

The side of Allen's mouth twitched upwards briefly and he ran a hand through his hair as the car pulled to a stop at a street light.

"So… you gonna tell me what happened?"

"Well…"

She evaded the question as a groan came from the head resting in Lenalee's lap.

"Damn. My head. Bloody painkillers…"

The redhead's on green eye blinked open slowly to see Lenalee's concerned eyes peering down at him.

"Are you okay, Lavi?"

The redhead sat up, looking around as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Yeah, sure."

He wrinkled his nose.

"What is this lavender smell?"

Now that she thought about it, Lenalee noticed the lavender scent lingering in the air.

"You have a point-"

"Where are we?"

People really had to stop interrupting her.

"We're in-"

Allen chuckled as he accelerated, the car moving forwards gently.

"Glad to see you're awake, Lavi."

Lavi's eyebrows bent in confusion.

"Allen?"

He turned to Lenalee with a bemused look on his face.

"We're in Allen's car? What are we doing in Allen's car?"

"Well-"

The redhead paused, holding his hand up to silence her, thinking for a moment.

This was getting kind of annoying interrupted every few minutes, on Lenalee's part.

Then Lavi's one visible green eye goggled.

"How come Allen knows how to drive?!"

Lenalee frowned. As if she would know.

She hadn't had even one date with Allen yet, so she really wouldn't know much.

"I don't-"

Allen interrupted her mid-sentence, calling from the front of the car without a backward glance.

"Hey, Lenalee, do I turn here, or at the next junction?"

"The next-"

"Where are we going, Lee?"

Lenalee twitched. Her patience was really wearing thin.

"We're going-"

"Which way do I turn now?"

Lenalee opened her mouth to speak.

Lavi perked up, looking out the windows to catch their surroundings and spoke just as the first syllable escaped Lenalee's mouth.

"Hey, I know this road. We're heading to the hospital, aren't we?"

"Yes."

"Why are we going to the hospital again?"

She was just about to answer Lavi's question when Allen cut her off.

"You're the one who's going to get treated. Say, direct me to the accident and emergency drop-off point?"

Lenalee trembled with irritation.

"Which way's the drop-off point, Lee?"

"It's-"

"Ah, I see it! That's the one right?"

"Think so. Lenalee?"

"Maybe if the both of you _shut up _for a moment and _let me speak_, I'd be able to answer all your questions! So _shut up_ you _idiots!_"

Lavi and Allen seemed taken aback. They exchanged glances via the rearview mirror before turning back to look at her.

Lenalee's eyes were narrowed, angry slits of violet.

"Allen, turn here."

Her tone was direct and strict.

Allen proceeded to enter the carpark.

"Right. Now."

Lenalee cleared her throat and looked at Allen in the rear view mirror.

"No, Allen, I am not going to tell you what happened yet. Maybe later. Just not now."

She turned to Lavi.

"This lavender smell is Allen's shampoo."

Lavi raised an eyebrow accusingly.

Lenalee rolled her eyes.

"I took a shower at his house so I know what it smells like. Don't give me that face."

She sighed.

"Yes, we're in Allen's car. You half-passed out at the roadside. I had to call Allen to help. Hauling you to the hospital in a taxi would be tedious and calling an ambulance would stir up too much attention. So yes, we're in Allen's car."

Lenalee turned to Allen again.

"Allen, if you don't mind explaining why you know how to drive?"

The white-haired boy blinked innocently.

"I just had the money to take the test and get a licence."

"Okay."

She retuned her attention to Lavi.

"As I was barely able to mention earlier; we're going to the hospital, yes. We're going to the hospital because you threw a tantrum and got some of the tissues in your hand destroyed. So we need to get you stitched up and stuff."

She looked out of the window, and found the accident and emergency drop off site, pointing it out to the two guys.

"Yes, that was the drop off point. And now, we shall ALL exit the car, and head to the accident and emergency reception counter to get your," she sent a pointed glance Lavi's way, "wounds tended to before they get infected."

The two guys stared at her blankly.

She felt like hitting them.

And so she did.

With both hands, she flicked both of them on the head.

"Now get out of the car and follow me, you delirious, rude, imbeciles."

-

"I'm _fine_. Seriously."

Lenalee threatened to flick him on the head again.

"You're not actually threatening to hit me are you-"

_Flick._ Allen flinched from beside Lenalee.

"_Ow._ Okay. That was a stupid question. But _bloody damn_, woman, you don't have to hit me all the time."

"Ouch. You've got it hard, man."

The ebony haired girl rolled her eyes.

"You guys are such a bunch of wussies. Now just shuddap and let Dr Khan do his job."

Allen did a mini salute and grinned.

"Yes, ma'am."

Lenalee smiled back.

"Thank you, kind sir."

Lavi, on the other hand, rolled his eyes.

"Cheesy pair of lovebirds," he muttered.

Lenalee smacked him upside the head.

"I heard that."

The redhead mouthed an expression of pain, rubbing the back of his head.

"Mercy, dammit, _mercy_. You're a woman, not a barbarian. And this isn't any Amazon tribe society, so enough violence already."

His best friend shot him an accusing look.

"_Anyway_, I'm _fine._ Alright?"

Lenalee placed her hands on her hips, arms akimbo.

"You have no right to say that-"

The doctor joined the conversation then, a hearty laugh echoing from his throat.

"I'll be the judge of that, kids. Enough bickering, a'ite? Now sit still, lad."

Lavi gave in, sighing as he straightened up to be examined.

"Alright, if it makes the _princess_ happy."

Dr Khan laughed again shone light into Lavi's eye; the redhead in question had disallowed the other eye to be looked at.

As soon as he was done scrutinizing the emerald green orb, he straightened up and set about with other apparatus.

He gave Lavi a thermometer, which he held to his mouth, as the doctor went on to check his blood pressure.

The doctor nodded approvingly at the turn out of the check-up proceedings, and set his paper down on the table to address them.

"Well," he said, removing his glasses, "he seems perfectly fine to me, aside from the stitches I'm told that hand will require."

Lenalee, standing with an arm folded across her middle, the elbow of her other arm supported on it, a contemplative hand holding her chin, inclined her head slightly, an eyebrow raised.

Allen stood by her side like a defeated puppy.

"…Really, doctor…?"

Dr Khan was a balding man with kind brown eyes and a potbelly.

He nodded.

"Yes. Quite healthy, he is."

He also had quite the accent.

The ebony haired girl watched as the man rubbed his chin slowly, thoughtfully. From the corner of her eye, she noticed Lavi waving at her.

Lavi looked around the doctor's potbelly and at his best friend, mouthing 'I told you so'.

Allen grinned beside her and gave Lavi thumbs up.

Lenalee rolled her eyes, turning her attention back to the balding man between them.

He seemed to come to a conclusion.

"He does seem a bit stressed though. Probably had a couple of sleepless nights recently? Maybe you could call that sick?"

The doctor winked at her.

Lavi's jaw dropped, Allen face-palmed and Lenalee had to hide a smile.

The doctor sat down heavily in his swivel chair, scribbling, in that messy scrawl all doctors have, a prescription for Lavi to take.

Lenalee looked down slightly, reading, with little difficulty, what he was writing.

'_For help with sleep, when necessary – benzoadiezepines,_' it read.

Ah. Sleeping pills.

The balding man finished scribbling and shut the file lightly, dusting his hands off.

"I guess that's all. You can pay the consultation and medicine expenses at the reception counter downstairs after the stitching."

The doctor smiled warmly as he pushed the brown file with Lavi's name on it under a small window in the wall, which, Lenalee knew, left the file in a box to be sent to the pharmacy counter.

"Thank you, doctor," she said smilingly, opening the door and ushering Lavi and Allen outside.

The mahogany clicked shut behind them and they started to walk to the room Lavi had been told to go to get his stitches after consulting a doctor.

Lavi grumbled childishly on her right to Allen on the extreme right.

"Did you see how he was on her side? He was totally biased!"

Lenalee grinned.

"You sore loser. It was totally fair."

"Yeah right," the redhead murmured sarcastically.

"Really," she insisted.

Lavi looked at her pointedly.

She returned the look.

"A doctor would get sacked if he gave sleeping pills to a person who didn't really need them, you know. And I don't think dear Dr Khan wants to get himself fired."

Lavi snorted.

"Maybe. But I bet you seduced him or something. Into being on your side and coming to a conclusion that I'm sick, I mean."

Lenalee gaped at him.

"That's disgusting."

The redhead shrugged, his hands up in a undetermined gesture.

"Yeah, well, it's disgusting to be a prostitute, but that doesn't stop _them _selling _their_ bodies."

His best friend's mouth slanted in a half-grimace.

"That's a different context, you idiot."

Allen laughed, stopping the conversation in its tracks.

Lenalee and Lavi stared at him, blinking in confusion.

"What's so funny?" they asked in unison.

The white-haired boy gave them a you're-seriously-asking-that look.

Still they stared at him cluelessly.

He sighed as he entered the lift and held the door as the two best friends entered after him.

"I really can't understand how you two survived as best friends all these years. This bickering is insane. How did your families tolerate this?" he asked smilingly.

Lenalee blinked.

"They don't."

Lavi nodded in agreement.

"The panda gets pissy about the noise, though he's usually quite tolerant because Lenalee's my only friend."

The ebony-haired girl nodded as a bell chimed, signalling that they'd arrived at the ground floor.

"And Komui-nii get's whiny about this stupid rabbit bullying me even though when you come down to it, it's really just a very intense discussion."

They exited the lift.

"Exactly."

Then Lavi realised what she'd said.

"HEY, I'M NOT A RABBIT!"

"Yes you are. You're born in the year of the rabbit, and you're your name sounds like rabbit. Besides, in the Chinese Zodiac, it's said that people born in the year of the rabbit can be moody, detached, superficial, self-indulgent, opportunistic, and stubborn."

She smiled sarcastically.

"Just like _you_."

There was a pause as Lavi seemed to consider something.

"Y'know, if you weren't a girl I would hit you."

Lenalee laughed.

"Don't jump to such negative conclusions so quickly, idiot. People born in the year of the rabbit are also known to be gracious people, who are good friends. Kind, sensitive people who are soft-spoken, amiable, elegant, reserved, cautious, artistic, thorough and tender. Not to mention self-assured, shy, astute, compassionate and flexible."

Lavi feigned being moved.

"Aww, Lee."

He put an arm around her delicate shoulders.

"You're being so nice today. Have you taken your pills?"

"…You asshole."

"Hey, what can I say? I was born in the year of the rabbit."

Lenalee sighed.

They sat down on the plastic chairs in the waiting area in anticipation of being called to collect and pay for Lavi's sleeping pills.

Allen seemed to think about something.

Lenalee and Lavi were so close. He envied their friendship, their comfortable, playful banter.

He looked to said pair of best friends, whose eyes were trained on various areas of the room lazily, and raised his hand slightly.

"I have a question."

The two turned to look at him.

"Hm? What is it, Allen?"

"Am I considered your friend?"

Lavi and Lenalee exchanged a glance.

A troubled glance.

Allen's heart pounded slightly harder.

"Well…"

Lenalee looked away, focusing her attention on the hands in her lap.

"You're my boyfriend…"

She looked up.

She and Lavi looked at each other again.

The redhead rubbed the back of his neck.

"And you stole my girl…"

The white-haired boy's heart skipped a beat.

Lavi's girl…?

He didn't understand.

Lenalee began speaking again.

"So…"

They exchanged glances again, then turned to look at him.

The suspense grew and Allen felt the pressure.

Lavi grinned widely just then.

"Of course you're our friend!"

Lenalee smiled widely.

"Yeah! How the heck did you think otherwise?"

Allen smiled.

"Awesome."

The other two grinned back at him.

* * *

A/N: Whoaaaaa. How long has it bloody beeen. damn.

Anyway, I'm so so so sorry for this horribly late update. it wasn't even particularly interesting. I'm so sorry. Been really busy with school. I'll try to update again in a while, if my brain juices permit it. I've got tons of ideas pouring into my head, but I've got a lot of things going on and can't even use the computer unless I want to forget about my homework and get detention. I'm so sorry. I'll try to update again soon!


	17. The Gentleman's Affair

Metamorphosis

Chapter 16: The Gentleman's Affair

Disclaimer: I don't own.

* * *

She felt like she was really inconveniencing Allen with this. Lavi didn't seem to mind.

"Are you sure it's alright for us to use your house for this? I mean, aren't we imposing of something…?"

Allen gave a light chuckle.

"Not at all. Besides, this'll be fun."

His eye gleamed as he glanced at Lenalee and Lavi standing shoulder to shoulder behind him.

"…We could play _poker_, or something."

Lenalee raised an eyebrow.

She and Lavi shared a glance.

Allen grinned back at them.

The redhead went back to surveying the surroundings.

Now that Lenalee thought about it, she had never seen this place in daylight.

She looked around.

It was a simple building, barely any different from Lenalee's and Lavi's; redbrick walls, about ten storeys high.

"Just a little further guys. Sorry about this long, inconveniencing walk."

Lavi grinned.

"S'fine. S'nice outside today anyway. And we're usin' your house, so we should, by right, make an effort for that."

Lenalee nodded in agreement.

"Mmhmm."

They continued along the cement-floored corridor.

"…By the way, what's with the accent today, Lavi?"

Her best friend grinned.

"Dunno. Just felt like it."

He seemed pretty out of it today. Like he was thinking something.

…Had he spotted the cuts on her wrists?

Right at the end of the hall, they came to a mahogany door, one of several they'd passed on their way there.

Maybe it would be better if she told him before he discovered himself.

The keys rattled in the lock and Allen clicked the door open. He turned and huffed, grinning at them.

"Alright, we're here. This is my apartment."

They stepped through the doorway and into the apartment.

Lenalee had never noticed it before, but Allen's apartment was quite the decent place.

They had entered the living room, a small area which looked spacious.

Allen's apartment was modern. Unlike Lavi's or Lenalee's, it did not have the step separating the main area from the area where people left their shoes. It was simply a small area of plywood flooring, a small step to prevent any form of dirt from getting to the carpet lining the edges of the small square.

Lenalee stared around in awe. She hadn't noticed how well-decorated the apartment was when she'd last been here.

Lavi eyed the place with raised eyebrows, seeming impressed.

"Do you live here by yourself, Allen?"

The white-haired boy grinned as he pulled his left sneaker off with a gloved hand.

"Yeah."

Allen continued further into the well-furnished apartment, leaving his shoes on a rack in a cupboard next to the door.

"Come on in. Make yourself at home. I'll get some drinks."

He disappeared into the kitchen.

Lenalee finished tugging off her shoes.

"Where do I put my shoes, Allen?" she called.

A distant reply came from the kitchen, accompanied briefly by the tinkle of ice-cubes against glass.

"Just leave them in the cupboard next to the door. Next to my shoes."

Lenalee found the cupboard Allen had left open for her and Lavi to leave their shoes.

"Okay."

She set down her bright red sneakers next to Allen's grey and black ones.

Lavi continued to stand still in the walk-in area.

He hadn't even moved to remove his footwear.

Lenalee stared at him from the other side of the step.

He did not move. He seemed to be thinking.

"…Lavi, why are you just standing there?"

There was a pause before he replied.

"This place…"

Lenalee cocked her head to the side inquisitively.

"You…"

Lavi frowned, wrinkling his nose.

Lenalee raised an eyebrow.

"What?"

Lavi turned to meet her gaze steadily.

His one eye stared into her soul as her purple irises did.

There as a hint of annoyance in his eyes, irritation in his voice, his expression.

"You smelled of this place when you came back that day. Lavendar. You smelled of Lavender."

Lenalee chanced a glance away from his eyes.

Allen had not returned from the kitchen, and hadn't seemed to notice the disgust apparent in Lavi's voice.

She turned back to her best-friend, a defensive look on her face.

"I _did_ take a shower here."

Lavi raised an eyebrow.

"Shower?"

Lenalee blinked thoughtfully.

"Didn't I mention that?"

Lavi pursed his lips, exhaling in a sigh.

"Nope. Nothing of it. What did you need to take a shower for?"

Lenalee face-palmed.

Lavi was acting like her brother when he was obsessing over her in a dazed sister-complex mode.

"I just took a shower. It was warm."

"Mm."

He obviously wasn't convinced.

They made their way over to the ebony dining table on a raised platform just away from the doorway to the kitchen.

Lenalee found it the right moment to tell Lavi about her cuts.

"Lavi…"

The redhead had been staring around at the several paintings of instruments and nature scenery lining the soft green walls in wonder.

"Hm?"

"I-"

Allen returned with the drinks at that moment.

"Drinks, anyone?"

Lenalee sighed. She would have to tell Lavi later, then.

-

"Alright, so, Lavi. How do you want to start? Do you want to start from the top, or just specific areas?"

The three of them were seated at the ebony dining table on a raised platform just a ways off from the front door to the apartment.

Allen rubbed his hands together eagerly. Like an obsessive artist who was about to materialise their brilliance onto the canvas.

To Lenalee, it looked like the other reason why Allen was so excited to get started was because he wanted to play poker. Or something of that sort.

She hoped it wasn't strip poker. Because then, she would have chosen a pervert for a boyfriend. And Lavi would probably whack her upside the head for being so stupid.

The redhead blinked at him before his mouth curved thoughtfully.

"Uhh. I don't know."

Lavi grinned sheepishly.

The white-haired boy seemed vaguely disappointed with this. His mouth drooped a little, but he continued smiling.

Allen turned to Lenalee.

Clapping his hands together hopefully, he said, "Any ideas, Lenalee?"

Come to think of it, Lenalee hadn't given it much thought either.

"I think you should run through the whole thing. Lavi's an idiot, so you'd need to go really slowly too," she mocked.

Lavi gaped at her.

"Your meanstreak is most inspiring today, Lee."

Lenalee grinned widely, shamelessly.

"Why, thank you."

The redhead scoffed and Allen chuckled in amusement of their miniscule bickering.

"I can act like a gentleman if I wanted to," he grumbled.

Lenalee rolled her eyes disbelievingly.

"Oh _really_. Then why don't you?"

Lavi gave her a that's-so-obvious look.

"It's because you're _not_ a _lady_,_ barbarian_. Therefore, I need not treat you like a lady."

Lenalee's face went red with anger and embarrassment.

"You sneaky little-!"

"Okay, well!" Allen interrupted, vaguely afraid of a best-friend-argue thing he wouldn't be involved in, not that he wanted to.

He laughed awkwardly, attempting to lighten the atmosphere.

Lavi and Lenalee turned to Allen.

"Uhh."

The white-haired boy rubbed the back of his head.

"…Why not we give him a sort of ability gauge test? That way we can just correct his mistakes and whatnot," he suggested.

Allen hadn't the slightest idea how he had come up with that on the spot.

Lavi and Lenalee blinked, sharing a glance and grinned.

"That's a great idea," they said in unison.

These people were too weird for Allen to understand.

-

The ebony-haired girl smoothed out the clothing she was wearing with her hands.

Allen rubbed the back of his head.

"I'm starting to regret giving you this idea. This is just too awkward."

Lenalee blinked.

The white-haired boy was now rubbing the back of his neck.

Lenalee raised an eyebrow at him and sighed regretfully.

"This is so stupid."

Allen stared at her briefly, then laughed.

"Now, now, Lenalee. It's to help Lavi, isn't it? Therefore it isn't stupid."

He snickered.

"Besides, you need to look the part."

Lenalee frowned, folding her arms across her chest.

"That's not the point. I don't want to wear this frilly thing. Where did you get this from anyway? How could it fit me?"

Allen frowned.

"Firstly, it's not frilly. And secondly-"

Lenalee did not wait to hear the end of his sentence.

Her mouth opened in shock as she weighed the different possibilities.

"You're not… a _cross dresser_, are you?!"

This made Allen laugh harder.

"Bloody hell. Heck no, thanks."

Lenalee sighed again.

She was clad in a boat-necked dress which reached only half-way up her thigh, and stood by Allen at the passageway to the main hall where the dining table was ready with food items and such.

A perfect simulation dinner date.

"Who did you get it from anyway, then?"

Allen laughed.

"I got it from one of my old friends in high school. Lulubelle, I think her name was."

Lenalee blinked at him.

"I see. You're laughing a lot today. This must be pretty amusing from your point of view."

She glanced at the wall clock, adding temperamentally, "and where is that idiot?"

There was a chuckle from within the shadows of the corridor.

Lenalee and Allen whipped around inquisitively.

Lavi appeared, his hair combed nicely, released from its gravity-defying position imposed by the bandana. He was dressed in pair of well-fitting dress pants and a collared shirt, loose around the collar, his tie hanging loosely around his neck. He also had a jacket on, with buttons on the cuffs.

Lenalee's jaw dropped.

"Salutations, Miss Lee."

* * *

A/N: Whoaa. What happened to my standards?

I'm so sorry. I've got a bit of a writer's block. Do excuse my errors. Anyway, I failed most of my exams. Harharhar.

This is all for now. I'll update in a while. (:

Thanks for favourites, alerts, reviews, and everything else. :D You guys are awesome. (:


	18. Eternal

Metamorphosis

Chapter 17: Eternal

Disclaimer: I don't own.

* * *

"_Enchante'."_

So far, Lavi was doing well.

He had bowed slightly as he approached her and kissed the back of her hand like the gentlemen Lenalee had only seen in English movies. He had then pulled the chair out for her and allowed her to sit down before sitting down carefully himself.

Allen watched gingerly from the sidelines, his hand poised contemplatively on his chin, fingers curling delicately.

Was she the only one who felt out of place right then?

She set the fork and spoon down.

Lavi, with his least bandaged hand, handled the wine glass delicately – instinctively filled with sparkling grape juice because they were under-aged for alcohol.

Lenalee watched as he touched is lips to the chilled liquid. Allen had truly been prepared for this.

She glanced anxiously at the simple metal-framed wall clock again.

The second hand ticked away and she caught the minute hand move, the hour hand stationary.

The white haired boy had said the trial would last about fifteen minutes. Eight minutes to go.

This was starting to get unbearably embarrassing.

Lavi decided to start polite conversation.

"So how's your day been, Lenalee?"

The ebony-haired girl's attention snapped back to her redheaded companion and she mentally slapped herself.

This was to help Lavi. So she would do it.

She straightened a little, pulling her hunched shoulders back.

"It's been quite alright. And yours?"

She dabbed a napkin to her lips and smiled at him.

The redhead touched his lips to the edge of the glass again, looking up at her with his left eye.

The green orb twinkled. Lenalee assumed he was amused.

"Today has been a most… interesting day."

Lenalee cocked her head to the side inquisitively.

"Yes. I discovered someone singing in the shower. I believe it was a rock song they were singing."

The redhead chuckled as Lenalee's ears turned a striking red beet root colour.

Lavi rested his chin on his palm, his elbow on the table, and stared into her eyes.

"And they were imitating the screamo parts of a few songs."

Lenalee's heart beats quickened and her insides fluttered with embarrassment.

Her gaze flitted briefly to the wall-clock.

Lavi did not miss this.

He chuckled.

"Four minutes."

Lenalee was totally unused to this.

She cleared her throat, her ears dusted in a light pink.

"Anyway, Lavi, if I may ask where you got the clothes? They are most familiar."

Lavi smiled, still maintaining eye-contact.

Perhaps this was one of the things you were supposed to do to act gentlemanly…? Lenalee didn't know.

"You picked them out for me, remember?"

The ebony haired girl's memories pulled her back in time to the point when she had gone shopping with Lavi and Tyki.

"Oh yes, yes! The one from that tailor shop."

Realisation dawned on Lenalee.

"No wonder I didn't see it until today. They were going to send it to you via mail. When did it arrive?"

Lavi paused conversationally to ponder this.

Two more minutes.

"Two days ago, actually. Allen instructed me to bring any clothes which seemed appropriate for the training."

The redhead smiled.

"I believe that was probably Tyki's idea."

"Oh? Well, yes. That would make sense."

Lenalee's gaze flickered to the wall clock again.

One more minute.

"You know, Lenalee…"

Lenalee wasn't really paying attention anymore.

"Hmm?" she answered, without looking at him.

Thirty seconds.

"You…"

Twenty seconds.

"…really…"

Ten seconds.

Nine.

'_Come on, come on…'_

Eight.

'_This is so embarrassing. Hurry up. Hurry up…'_

Seven.

Six.

"You-"

Five.

"really-"

Four.

"make-"

Three.

"that dress-"

Two.

"look absolutely horrendous."

One.

She really hadn't been paying attention.

Inwardly, she breathed a sigh of relief.

She placed her palms flat on the table, breathing out unglamorously.

She noticed Lavi seeming to wait for her reaction, as cheeky crooked smile on his face.

Lenalee cocked an eyebrow at him inquisitively.

"Sorry, did you say something?"

Lavi grinned.

"You really make that dress look horrible, Lee."

* * *

Lenalee scoffed.

"You would have passed the test if not for that notorious line at the end of everything."

Lavi pouted.

"Allen, help me out here. It was after the entire thing was over. And it was only _one _thing I _said_! Words don't mean much! You can't fail me!" he pleaded.

Allen raised an eyebrow.

"Please! You can't make me study etiquette! That's the most boring bullshit in the entire universe!" he whined.

Lenalee hmphed.

"Well, then obviously you made a bad choice because not only does the judge care a lot about treating women well, he is also the boyfriend of the exquisitely elegant lady you just insulted!"

Lavi sulked, rolling his eyes.

Allen sighed deeply.

With one arm still around folded, he ran a hand through his hair.

"I have to agree with Lenalee, Lavi. That last line really ruined everything. Although, the style in which you acted 'gentlemanly' was very… traditional, I would say. It wouldn't suit our current setting. I won't make you study etiquette, because it seems to me that you know your manners well enough."

Lavi smirked in Lenalee's direction. The raven haired girl simply rolled her eyes.

"He said it 'seems' to him. _Seems. S-E-E-M-S._ Do you know what that means?" she asked, her tone mocking.

"Yes, actually. Unlike _you_, my vocabulary is quite expansive. I think it must be the impeccable – if you know what that means – size of my brain. Perhaps, your head is too tiny for the rather difficult words, hm?" countered the redhead.

Lenalee raised an elegant eyebrow.

"Are you saying that the word 'seems'- which I do happen to know the meaning of, actually – is difficult? And yes, I know what impeccable means. Maybe the only reason why your head is so big is because it's full of hot air and swine guts, you pigheaded moron."

Allen smacked his forehead with his palm.

"I don't know how the two of you carry on living what with all this banter. Anyway, I think it would be fair to _everyone_ here," he eyed them pointedly, "if we simply had a trial date. What do you think?"

Thunder rumbled in the distance.

* * *

"I don't believe you sometimes, you know that?"

Lavi ignored her, his hands in his pockets.

"Mm."

Lenalee sighed, holding the umbrella up higher so that Lavi wouldn't need to hunch to fit under its shelter.

She thought back to the earlier moments.

Although the raven haired girl had been able to appreciate the way Lavi acted during the gentleman trial when it wasn't Lavi who were acting that way, she was starting to form the conclusion that Lavi didn't quite fit that kind of role.

It had been awkward. She liked the witty redhead whom made ridiculous remarks at whatever she said and always attempted to show her up. She loved his 'bloody hell's and swearing and cussing. She loved Lavi. All of him.

…As a best friend, of course.

"Hey, watch out!"

Lenalee turned to Lavi with a bewildered look a moment too late.

She stumbled into the deep drain – about a metre deep - scraping her shin all the way to the knee. Her hands splayed out on the ground before her, she sat with three quarters of her right leg in the drain, her other knee bent in an awkward fashion. Scrapes adorned her hands and left knee, her right leg bearing the brunt of the injuries.

They had been just about to cross over a deep drain running along the length of the road to get to the main road when Lenalee's hastily fastened shoelaces caught under the soles of her sneakers.

Lenalee really regretted changing into shorts at Allen's house. Her paranoia had gotten to her, and in fear of dirtying her slims, had changed into a pair of old shorts.

…Then again, had she been wearing the grey slim jeans she had worn earlier, they would have been torn.

Then again, her leg wouldn't be in the terrible state it was in now.

Or maybe it would have been best if she hadn't gotten distracted…

At least she hadn't landed on the other side of the drain that was grass and soil. Grass and soil equated to mud and an obnoxious earthy smell that was beyond Lenalee's tolerance in this weather, and she really had no desire to smell like grass and look like she had crapped in her pants all the way home.

The stinging pain of the scrapes finally caught her attention. A throbbing pain had erupted around her ankle and heel and she realised Lavi was talking to her in a panic, waving a hand around in front of her face.

Lenalee blinked.

She looked around, still not digesting the gibberish pouring out of Lavi's mouth. Rain droplets caught in her eyes and she had to blink furiously.

Lavi's gestures became more erratic and apprehensive, taking the furious blinking and brushing of her eyes with the back of her hand as a sign that Lenalee was crying. His forehead creased with worry and anxiety, but Lenalee only saw this briefly, fleetingly. Her thoughts were of the umbrella that had slipped out of her hands as she fell.

The umbrella had drifted off a ways away, and was being blown by the torrential downpour away from them.

"Lavi…" she started slowly, dazedly, the pain of the scrapes itchy and uncomfortable, "the umbrella is flying away."

She was not sure if he had heard her.

Blood began to seep through the gashes – not scrapes, she realised now – and Lavi looked at her incredulously.

Her hair was sopping wet and the smooth black strands clung to her face unglamourously.

She still couldn't comprehend what Lavi was saying to her.

All she could hear was the sound of the rain pounding on the ground, the wood of the bridge and on her skull.

Slowly, she retracted her leg from the drain instinctually, wincing only in the slightest as the rain droplets landed on her bare flesh with a slight impact which, to Lenalee, felt like tiny flaming arrows.

Lavi had finally acceded to her demands and gone after the fly-away umbrella.

Lenalee examined the carnage.

The gashes running down from mid-way through her thigh down the length of her shin to her ankle.

Quite an inglorious network of scrapes and gashes.

Lavi returned with the retrieved umbrella.

And suddenly she could hear him.

"That doesn't look so good."

Her blank had cleared up, and things were starting to make sense again.

Lavi's clothes were drenched, his hair soaked, a dark red rivalling the colour of the blood on Lenalee's leg.

He ran a hand through the disarrayed red locks.

"It doesn't feel so good either," Lenalee joked.

Lavi shook his head with a sigh.

Lenalee looked down, taking the stinging in her right leg without wincing, now.

"I'm sorry. You're all wet now," she muttered.

"You idiot. You're hurt like this and you're apologizing for getting me wet? Bloody hell. Are you suffering from some sort of concussion?"

Lenalee rewarded Lavi's effort at being light about her misadventure with a crooked smile which seemed oddly out of place.

"Well… if we sit out here all day long, we're both going to get sick again, so why not we get up and find a suitable place to dry off and clean you up?"

Lavi looked around.

"Should we backtrack to Allen's place? It's not that far away from here…"

Lenalee shook her head.

"I don't want to keep imposing on him like this. It's not very nice."

Lavi nodded in agreement.

"I think you have a point. There's a shelter over there. We could wait out the storm and clean you up there. I'll run over to _Seven- Eleven_ and get some medical supplies."

Lenalee frowned at this.

"That's wasting money. We should just go back to your house where there's a first aid kit."

Lavi raised an eyebrow at her.

"That makes sense, but how are we going to get you back in this storm?"

Lenalee rolled her eyes as though the answer were so obvious.

"I'll walk of course."

She attempted to stand. Lavi stood, watching with a defiant expression.

However, his eyes betrayed him, screaming only of worry and concern.

He had probably been expecting it when Lenalee very nearly fell into the drain again, where he grabbed her arm hastily and pulled her to his chest.

Lenalee sighed into his soaked shirt.

"Ah shit. That's not going to work."

The raven haired girl cussed.

"Right. I didn't think you could walk."

Lavi's tone was matter-of-fact.

His best friend snorted in reply.

"Shut up."

Lenalee held onto his shoulder as she balanced herself, trying not to put weight on her right leg.

"So, if I can't walk, what do you suggest we do to get home, smartass?"

Lavi thought a moment. Then, without Lenalee's consent, faced his back to her and swept her onto his back, his hands holding her thighs as her arms found their way around his neck.

"L-Lavi?! What are you doing?" Lenalee flushed, surprised by the sudden lift and squirmed, tickling Lavi slightly. "Put me down!"

Lavi grunted.

"Stop squirming."

He righted himself, turning his head back enough for Lenalee to look him in the eye.

"What does it look like I'm doing?"

Lenalee's mouth hung open in disbelief.

"Yes. Now sit tight."

He adjusted their positions a little and began walking.

Lenalee's jaw snapped shut. She resumed her attempts at getting her way and squirmed.

"I told you I can walk! Put me down!"

"Oh no you don't. _No. _We already tried that. Didn't work. This is the alternative, since you don't want me to waste money. Now shut up and take a rest up there. I'm sure you're tired."

Lenalee was silent a moment.

She tried a gentler, more persuasive approach.

"Are you sure? I'm heavy. Doesn't your back hurt?"

Lavi shrugged.

"My back doesn't hurt. What is it with girls and thinking they're heavy when they're not?"

His passenger's eyebrows drew into a frown.

"What would you know about girls and what they think? You're barely around any girls, and don't talk to them at all in the first place. Other than myself, of course."

Lenalee's arms shifted to more comfortable positions around his shoulders. Her forearms came to a rest over his prominent collarbones but kept her head upright as they talked.

Lavi's witty edge had not left him.

"My knowledge I gather from you and by observing the other females in the surroundings. And movies, of course. You can't forget movies."

He paused.

"And you need to eat more. You're so freaking light, I could throw you around like a baseball with one hand."

Lenalee leaned her head into his shoulder. Fatigue was starting to consume her. Her limbs felt like lead and weighed a ton. (Which was why she suggested to Lavi that she might be heavy.)

"You don't mean that," she drawled.

She smiled into the comfort of the crook of his slender neck anyway.

"Tell me if you feel any pain, or are uncomfortable, okay?"

Warmth gathered between the two. It was cosy, snug.

"Mm. And you remember to tell me if I get too heavy."

Lavi smiled.

"Won't happen," he whispered.

Lenalee fell asleep listening to his even breathing, with the quiet rhythm of the redhead's movements and the rain pounding, softer than before, on her back.

"…Lavi…"

Her voice was a barely audible whisper.

He would not have heard her half-asleep mumblings had her mouth not been as close to his ear as it were.

"Yeah?" he whispered in reply.

The rain began coming down slightly harder. Lightning flashed ahead.

The path was clear, and Lavi noted they were alone. He listened to the tap-tap-tap of his footsteps on the damp ground in time to Lenalee's breathing next to his ear as he waited for Lenalee's response.

He felt her warm steady breaths on his neck, conflicting with the cold of the surroundings.

He stifled a shudder so as to not shake Lenalee.

…It was actually comfy.

"…I think I twisted my ankle."

Lenalee's tone spoke of vague annoyance.

Lavi chuckled softly.

"I know how to treat those."

A rain droplet hit Lenalee's forehead and slid down her cheek. She nuzzled her left cheek into the warmth of Lavi's shoulder.

"Okay."

A pause.

"And Lavi…"

It was almost an afterthought.

"Hm?"

She brushed her lips over his jaw line.

"…I love you."

There was a snicker.

"Love you too."

There was a companionable silence.

"…Hey, you know… I could get used to this."

She placed her chin on his right shoulder blade.

"Mm… So warm."

Lavi rolled his eyes.

"Alright, you're delirious. Shut up and sleep."

His best friend's reply was a drowsy drawl, having ignored the mock command in his voice.

Or maybe because she knew his sarcastic tone was only a mask for his concern.

"Mmkay…"

The wind blew at them, and Lavi's hair whipped the side of his left eye.

He had to blink furiously for it to stop disrupting his vision. He came to a stop and whispered gently to his best friend.

"Sorry, you still awake?"

"Mm…?"

Lenalee lifted her head up slightly.

"Could you help me brush my hair away from my face?"

Lenalee did not respond verbally and simply twisted her head round to the left side of Lavi's neck and pushed the stray locks away.

"Thanks."

He started walking again, his footfalls even and rhythmic.

But Lenalee had already fallen back into a deep, peaceful slumber.

The rain let up a little, and a soft breeze coaxed to trees around them into a tender, swaying ballet.

…If only this kind of peace was eternal.

* * *

A/N: hello. I haven't updated for a while. I'm sorry about that. I've no time right now, so I hope you liked the chapter. (: Review?


	19. One Step Forward, Three Steps Back

Metamorphosis

Chapter 18: One Step Forward, Three Steps Back

Disclaimer: I don't own.

* * *

The waitress placed the two glasses on the table gingerly, smiling at Allen as he thanked her subtly.

She watched as Lavi pulled the chair out for the brunette to sit down, gesturing for her to sit with his hand.

Lenalee couldn't stand the suspension.

Lavi smiled at Sachiko politely. She smiled in return.

The smile of someone who were impressed.

Lenalee began to rap her fingers on the table impatiently.

"I can't believe I agreed to this…"

Allen laughed.

"Lenalee, stop it. It'll be alright. Besides, we're just over here. Nothing could possibly happen without us noticing."

Lenalee bit her lip anyway.

Allen called a waiter over. Lenalee continued to stare in anxious anticipation as the redhead and brunette conversed.

Lenalee wished she could hear everything they were saying.

"Two Sticky Chewy Chocolate Ice-creams, please."

The waiter jotted the orders down on his order pad.

"Alright sir. Right away."

The waiter strode off.

"Well," Allen raised his glass of plain water, "here's to one hour to kill."

Lenalee sighed.

"He's not doing too well."

She huffed.

They were half an hour into the trial date.

Allen laughed.

"I think it only seems that way to you."

His girlfriend raised an eyebrow.

The white-haired boy chuckled.

"Probably because you're either possessive, jealous, or annoyed that he doesn't act quite as gentlemanly with you."

Lenalee considered this. She folded her arms across her chest and sat back in her chair, eyeing the couple seated some way away from them.

Lavi and Chomesuke were fervently joking with each other. For the past thirty minutes, the redhead had been chivalrous enough, always the one to flag a waiter, pour her a glass of water and such.

The raven-haired girl narrowed her eyes, her gaze never leaving the brunette and redhead at the other table.

"How true you are, Allen. Hn."

Over at the other table, Lavi just finished charming Chomesuke with a joke, and the brunette laughed.

There was a pause. Allen smiled, his mouth curving into the grin of a Cheshire cat.

Slowly, he spoke.

"Then, shall _I _act like a gentleman for you?"

Lenalee's head snapped back to look at Allen with large eyes. She seemed as though she hadn't heard him right.

Allen smiled at her, caressing her cheek with his hand.

Lenalee flushed.

Her stomach fluttered, her heart pounding against her breastbone.

"Yes, please."

Allen kissed her hand tenderly, his lips brushing over her knuckles.

* * *

Lavi glanced over at the booth he had previously left his two companions, his gaze meeting one of the cheesiest sights he'd ever seen.

There Allen was kissing Lenalee's knuckles.

It almost made him sick, somehow.

The look on his best friend's face was… unimaginable.

Since when had his brutish, Amazonian, barbarian friend become a tender girl who giggled like that?

And who could flush that red?

Bloody hell, she was as red as a tomato.

And he'd never seen that smile.

This vaguely annoyed him.

How come he'd never been able to bring that smile about?

That sheepish, girly smile. The smile of a girl whom had been flattered.

He'd known the girl for, what, ten years?

He glanced back at Chomesuke.

The brunette was sipping her water.

He turned his attention again to the couple whom had accompanied him along on this task.

A pang of a feeling he didn't understand made his stomach churn.

They _must _be challenging him.

He turned to Chomesuke with a smirk. He was going to do this.

"Say, Chomesuke."

The brunette's intelligent gaze flickered over to him.

"Hmm?"

Lavi smiled charmingly, his toothy grin playful.

"Uhm, after this date, do you want to go out again?"

* * *

Lenalee turned at the sound of the squeal coming from Lavi's table.

She had been staring into the depths of Allen's silver-blue orbs, but her pleasant reverie had been poked at when the squeak of delight had erupted and boomed in her ears like a reality check.

At the sight of Chomesuke's exhilarated expression, she'd been dragged back to reality.

A single word, 'Sure!', drifted over to the raven haired girl and Allen.

Chomesuke was grinning, practically glowing.

Lenalee had no idea what was going on. She watched intently.

Lavi was simply smiling.

One lesson learnt in life.

_Expect the unexpected._

She would seriously remember this lesson, taught to her in the span of a few milliseconds for the rest of her life.

Lenalee gawked as the redhead leaned over and planted an intimate kiss on Chomesuke's cheek.

The raven haired girl stood up, knocking her chair over.

Allen's jaw dropped.

Lavi glanced at them, seemingly caught off guard by the clatter of the chair on the ground. Chomesuke turned as well, curiosity apparent in her hazel irises.

Then Lavi smirked slyly at his best friend's shocked expression.

He had won.

* * *

The raven haired girl wrung her hands under the table, just above her lap.

Allen spoke, asking the question Lenalee wanted so badly to ask.

"Alright. So the verdict, if you will, Chomesuke?"

"Hm."

The brunette drummed her fingers on the table thoughtfully, her nails clicking on the lacquered wood surface.

"Well, I think he was very good."

She beamed.

Lenalee raised her eyebrows.

"He was very gentlemanly and I loved the small talk and jokes."

The raven haired girl sulked inwardly as Lavi smirked smugly at her.

He'd never attempted small talk and jokes with her.

Lenalee sighed.

Maybe it was because they were too close for that kind of silly conversation.

That was definitely it.

She returned the redhead her own cheeky smile.

Lavi's eyebrows slanted in confusion.

The hazel eyed girl tucked a mahogany strand of hair behind her ear.

"Though, it would have been good if he hadn't gone and kissed me then."

Lenalee's mind whirled, her mind returning to the matter at hand, forgetting her and Lavi's hidden banter.

The word echoed in her head.

_Kissed…_

_Kissed…_

_Kissed…_

For goodness' sake. Couldn't Chomesuke have at least said something like "pecked me on the cheek"?

Her expression must have given something away; the redhead seated next to Chomesuke guffawed.

"Aw, sorry. You didn't like it?"

He smiled apologetically.

"Sorry, Chomesuke. Spur of the moment."

The cheerful brunette chuckled lightly, smiling.

Allen continued to survey the situation quietly.

Lenalee admired his focus.

"I didn't say I didn't like it. I'm just thinking that if it had been someone else, they might have sued you for sexual harassment."

Lenalee frowned.

She'd definitely liked it.

Lavi shrugged, apparently not seeing this.

"I suppose so, but I didn't think you would."

He grinned at her.

"I like a trusting guy, you know?" Chomesuke said.

She returned the grin.

All this smiling was getting a bit weird for Lenalee.

For the next fifteen minutes, they talked about Lavi's strengths and weaknesses throughout the simulation date.

Finally, Chomesuke glanced at the silver and red wristwatch encircling her tiny wrist. Her eyebrows shot up briefly.

She stood up.

"Dang. It's late. I need to be home in about twenty minutes."

She looked around at Allen, Lavi and Lenalee's neutral expressions.

"You mind excusing me?"

She smiled.

Lenalee grinned.

"Sure. That's fine."

Allen nodded his head.

"Yep. We're pretty much done."

He grinned stunningly in turn.

"Thanks a bunch for helping us out with this, eh, Chomesuke?"

The brunette laughed.

"My pleasure."

She turned to Lavi, who had remained silent the entire time.

"I'll see you on the Saturday we agreed on, yeah? Eight PM?"

Lenalee's eyes instantly goggled.

_What?_

Lavi chuckled.

"Yep. I'll pick you up at eight. Text me your address later."

He had asked for another date!

…So that was what that girly squeal they'd heard earlier had been about!

It wasn't supposed to be even remotely possible, but Lenalee's eyes widened further.

And they'd exchanged phone numbers?

Whoa.

This was going _way_ too fast for her liking.

Chomesuke smiled and pecked Lavi on the cheek.

Allen's eyebrows were raised.

"Intimate aren't we?"

The brunette and redhead laughed.

"All part of the plan."

Their hands balled into fists and they raised their clenched fists to bump knuckles.

Chomesuke winked at Lavi.

"See ya next time around Allen, Lavi."

Allen merely nodded and Lavi grinned.

She graciously turned to Lenalee.

"And it was a pleasure meeting you, Lenalee."

Lenalee grinned. She liked Chomesuke.

"Likewise. Thanks for helping that redheaded idiot."

Lavi snorted.

"_Hey._ I'm standing right here, you know."

Chomesuke laughed and high-fived Lenalee.

"You've got spunk. Let's hang out once in a while, yeah?"

The raven haired girl smiled.

"I'm definitely up for it."

CHomesuke walked a few paces away.

"Bye guys! See you around!"

She waved and was gone.

* * *

Lenalee smacked her best friend's head of red hair.

"OW!"

Lavi spun around, rubbing the back of his head.

"Goddammit, Lee. What the _heck_?"

She glared at him angrily.

Allen sighed.

"Here we go again…"

"You _idiot_. How are you going to '_pick her up_' if you can't _drive_?"

The redhead blinked at her.

"Well… Remember the list you were writing the other time that I saw?"

Lenalee folded her arms expectantly.

"What about it?"

Lavi rubbed the back of his neck and sighed.

"Well, remember this one part you wrote that I'm going to learn how to drive?"

The raven haired girl's jaw dropped as realisation dawned on her.

"You're planning on learning how to drive _and then_ pick her up?"

The redhead raised his eyebrows sarcastically.

"I can't believe you figured that out yourself, Lee! Are you sprouting more brain cells than usual?"

He patted her head.

"Good job!"

She smacked his hand away irritably.

"Ugh. You're one _very _stupid idiot, you know that?"

The redhead frowned.

"What's gotten you so worked up? Don't think I can do it?"

His best friend massaged her temples with a frustrated sigh.

"That's not it, you idiot. I'm very sure you'll excel or whichever, but now I have to exhaust all of my sources and connections to get you a driving licence as soon as possible."

She straightened up and sighed.

"Well, moping's not going to help."

She turned to her two companions.

"Let's get home. I need to change the bandages on my leg and get in touch with my contact."

Lavi looked at her and they shared a glance.

"I'm sorry, Lee."

She forgave Lavi in that instant because he looked so apologetic she almost wanted to forgive him for the entire annoying process of watching his simulation date.

After all, it wasn't like it was Chomesuke's fault. So it had to be his, right?

Lenalee sighed.

She didn't understand why she did these things for him.

She hadn't quite heard of it in best friends before.

…Must be the first for the best-friends era.

* * *

A/N: hullo. I hope you liked it. (: I worked on it for two hours. I know the standard is really bad, but I'm very tired. more fluff next chapter.(: thanks for reading thus face. and sorry it came out so late. byebye. review?


	20. Road, Driving Coach

Metamorphosis

Chapter 19: Road, Driving Coach

Disclaimer: I don't own.

* * *

He shook her shoulder lightly with an un-bandaged hand.

"Lee. Lee-ee."

Lavi sighed.

The sun's first rays peeked in through the blinds and reflected off her ebony hair, pulled back in a loose bun.

The redhead lightly tucked the stray strands behind her ears, brushing others away from her face.

"Oi. Lee."

She still wasn't waking up.

He rubbed his neck, which was still sore from when he'd left his head hanging off the arm of the couch downstairs as he slept.

That thing was seriously too small.

He nudged her shoulder again.

"Lenalee."

His best friend stirred. Her eyelids fluttered but did not open.

"Mm…"

She stretched out like a cat, and then recoiled into a foetus position.

Lavi laughed as her bun came loose, her ebony tresses spilling over the mattress and all over.

He sat himself down next to her and ruffled her hair.

"Hey, wake up."

Lenalee turned to face the windows.

"What time is it?" she queried sleepily.

The redhead glanced at his bedside table, looking, among a million items strewn across its surface, for the alarm clock.

"It's eight twenty-"

Wait.

What were all those things doing there?

Lavi frowned. He recognised Lenalee's mobile phone and notebook. There were a couple of pens as well and a packet of mints.

"Eight twenty…?"

The ebony haired girl yawned.

"I'll get up in a half hour. We meet your driving instructor at ten…"

Lenalee shifted on the mattress again, curling her body. Her back was warm against Lavi's.

The redhead looked at her upon this contact and smiled, chuckling softly.

"You worked really hard for me yesterday, huh?"

He ruffled her hair.

"Damn, what time did you sleep, if you even did until now?"

* * *

He was inconspicuously inspecting the large dark circles under her eyes when she spoke.

"Well, thanks for waking me up extra early. I don't think I would have been able to wake up myself."

Lenalee sipped her mug of hot chocolate.

Lavi leaned against the back of the chair.

"'Welcome. I've been disappointing the heck out of you recently. Excluding yesterday."

The ebony-haired girl raised an eyebrow.

"Yesterday was _worse,_ actually."

Lavi frowned at her accusing tone. He'd done fine yesterday! At least according to Allen and Chomesuke.

He'd actually done more than fine, to be specific.

Where was the justice in this world?

"Yeah? How so?" he challenged.

Lenalee took a sip from the white mug she held with both hands again before continuing.

"You never do that gentlemanly act here."

She snorted.

Lavi sighed.

"So you want me to act like a gentleman."

He rested his head on his palm, his elbow on the cool surface of the table.

Lenalee nodded with visible intensity.

"Yes."

She thought for a moment.

"And if you make it through, I will admit defeat."

Lavi's eyebrow shot up.

This prompted the redhead.

"Alright, then," he said slowly.

"We'll give it a try."

Lenalee smiled.

"Good. Now. Grab your stuff."

The ebony haired girl grinned at her best friend as she made her way to the sink to deposit and wash her mug.

"We're going to meet Road."

* * *

"You know, I had no idea Allen would be following us everywhere."

Lenalee rolled her eyes.

"You know, even if he's your boyfriend, you don't have to exploit him."

Lavi's tone was light, but she could sense the sarcasm dripping from his words.

"I am _not_ exploiting him! Okay? Unlike _some people_ Allen is nice enough and sensitive enough to know that I spent the entirety of last night up for _your_ sake."

She folded her arms.

The white-haired boy in the driver's seat backed her up.

"Yeah. I don't mind, really, Lavi. She does need to sleep a little more, and since the place is far away from here and I know where it is, have time and haven't seen Road in a while, why not?"

Lavi sighed from the backseat.

"Alright, Lee. I rest my case."

The ebony haired girl frowned at his suddenly submissive demeanour.

"_Thank you._"

Cynicism trickled from her voice, a prompt to get him rebutting her every word.

"You're welcome."

Lavi's tone was polite.

Lenalee had not expected him to continue being so compliant.

He spoke again before Lenalee could reassume her efforts in annoying him into a light banter.

"Who is this 'Road' person any- _by the way_?" he corrected. "Do people just call her that or is that really her name?"

Lenalee snorted.

"It's her name," Allen chided, "Don't ask about the pun in that she's a driving teacher."

Lavi stifled a laugh.

Lenalee stepped up her efforts again.

She turned in her seat to look at the redhead seriously.

"You should get ready. Some of the things she's going to teach you are unimaginable, and possibly unacceptable in society."

Lavi frowned at her, not unkindly. More curiously than anything else.

"What do you mean unacceptable in society?"

* * *

They stood before a closed garage door adorned in the musings of delinquent teenagers.

The redhead stood, admiring the stray vandalisms, products of teenage boredom.

"She's late."

Lenalee tapped her forefinger on the surface of her watch.

Allen nodded.

"Yup."

There was the roar of a powerful engine and the three of them looked up.

A black Lamborghini with an electric blue hood rounded the corner at high speed, coming towards them.

To Lenalee, it seemed to be going too fast.

_Way _too fast for her comfort.

The ebony haired girl's heart almost stopped beating as the car continued to draw closer, still moving at top speed.

The engine purred as the car skidded on the tarmac, turning a hundred and eighty degrees to stop just in front of the three.

The car door flipped open – where it opened upwards – and a slim, striped-socked leg emerged from the darkness within the sports-car interior. A lithe form rose from behind the tinted windows.

A head of vibrant electric blue hair, just as blue as the hood of the Lamborghini, and gold orbs.

Oh, these were striking, yes.

But Lavi's emerald orb goggled at something else.

Lenalee smirked.

"Lavi, this is Road, your driving instructor."

…This 'Road' character really wasn't what he'd expected.

She looked to be _at most_ fifteen, and was clad in a frilly white blouse with a red ribbon tied in a bow around the collar, and a short fluffy skirt. Not to mention the buckled shoes and black-and-purple striped high socks.

She looked like a little girl.

"Yo," the girl offered her free hand for Lavi to shake, "I'm Road. Nice to meet you."

She smiled innocently.

Somehow, that smile looked too sadistic for the redhead's taste.

* * *

A/N: hey guys. thanks to everyone who reviewed last chapter! they made me really happy. (: I'm so glad you guys are sticking to this story even though it updates oh-so rarely. thank you very very much! I'm going on a trip today, so I decided to post before I go. (: thanks again for reviewing and for reading! and a big hug to all of you who favourited or put this story on story alert! (and for even bothering with this story. xD) review? (:

also, a special thank you to that one reviewer who reviewed practically every chapter of my fic when I last updated. (: you know who you are~ :D


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